236 
THE BOOK OF FISHES 
REPAIRING A TORN SAIL 
crew. They waste no time in getting to 
the fishing Banks, and usually go tearing 
out under a press of sail. Dories are 
hoisted over before dawn, and the men 
often fish all night, with torches aflare on 
the dory gunwales. They will go over¬ 
side in pretty rough weather and will re¬ 
main out until the last minute, in the face 
of fogs and squalls. 
In summer, fog is the fisherman’s 
worst enemy. Dories may be strung out 
when it is fine and clear, and before they 
can be picked up again they are blank¬ 
eted from view in a wet, sight-defying 
mist. 
The skippers are wonderfully clever at 
locating the hidden dories, but it often 
happens that some cannot be found, and 
their names are listed with the yearly 
death toll of the Banks. 
But there are not many casualties, 
considering the frequency of the fogs, and 
I can remember one occasion when 56 
dories were reported astray from their 
vessels and all were either picked up by 
other schooners or else rowed in from 
the Banks to the land. Some of the 
distances stray fishermen have rowed in 
dories seem incredible, but a pull of 150 
to 175 miles in rough weather and without 
food is not an unusual accomplishment. 
A few years ago, during April, two 
fishermen got astray from their vessel on 
Quero Bank and were picked up fourteen 
days afterward 30 miles northwest of St. 
Pierre. They had but a little cake and 
some water to sustain them during that 
period and only managed to keep from 
freezing to death by constant rowing. 
One man’s feet and hands were black 
from frostbite when picked up. 
THE SIREN STRIKES TERROR 
Fog inspires fear in fishermen by rea¬ 
son of the danger of being run down by 
steamers. Many schooners have been 
sent to the bottom thus, and the roar of 
a steamer’s siren close aboard in foggy 
weather will have a crowd of fishermen 
out of their bunks quicker than anything 
else I know of. 
The living quarters in fishing-schooners 
are in forecastle and cabin. These apart¬ 
ments are lined with bunks—possibly six¬ 
teen single bunks forward and four to 
six double bunks aft. 
The galley is located in the after part 
of the forecastle and the mess-table is 
fitted between the foremast and the wind¬ 
lass-pawl-post. All hands eat their meals 
in the forecastle. 
