238 
THE BOOK OF FISHES 
A NEST OF DORIES AND BULWARKS COVERED WITH ICE 
The skipper lives aft, in the cabin. In 
some schooners he has a little room to 
himself, but in a good many he sleeps in 
an open bunk like the fishermen. The 
galley stove keeps the forecastle warm, 
and a small “bogey,” or base-burner, 
heats the cabin. 
As fishermen are constantly wet, the 
stoves are kept continually fired to dry 
out sodden clothing. 
Though it is a hard, cold, and hazard¬ 
ous existence, yet the fishermen’s life has 
some compensations. The cooks carried 
are masters of the culi¬ 
nary art and the meals 
provided are of the most 
luxurious description. 
All the staples and all 
the luxuries go aboard a 
fishing vessel, and the 
scale of victualing is Bilt- 
more style without the 
silver and cut-glass. 
A fisherman is always 
hungry, and in addition 
to three square meals per 
diem, he indulges in a 
“mug-up” between times 
from the “shack locker,” 
or quick-lunch cupboard 
in the forecastle. Tea 
and coffee are always on 
the stove. 
With stoves going be¬ 
low, it is always warm 
and pleasant in cabin 
and forecastle, and a 
fisherman’s bunk, with 
a good thick quilt or 
blanket and a straw mat¬ 
tress, makes a snug sleep¬ 
ing place. One never 
sheds many clothes on 
retiring; the discarding 
of boots and jacket is 
enough. 
The cabins and fore¬ 
castles are clean and well 
kept. Vermin is a fisher¬ 
man’s horror, and the 
writer has known men of 
questionable cleanliness to be sent ashore. 
THE RACE TO MARKET 
A smart vessel is a fisherman’s pride, 
and he will never lose an opportunity to 
try her out against other craft. Your 
fisherman is a sail-dragger. He believes 
in carrying his canvas to the last minute, 
just for the fun of seeing her go. To be 
one of a fleet of Banksmen “swinging off” 
for market in a stiff breeze is to confirm 
one in the belief that the American fisher¬ 
man is the finest sailor of the present day. 
F 
N I S 
