"I should think we was nearly where they fish be," said John.
"Bit farther," said Tony. "Us"ll drift back "long when the flid tide makes."
"Du as yu"m minded tu."
"Steer her a little bit in," directed Tony.
"A little bit out," directed John the next minute.
It was a middle course that turned out so happily.
We shot our nets--seven forty-fathom nets we had aboard--between the dying sunlight and the rising moon. Very still was the sea, and quiet, except where the other drifters were shooting their nets. Their talk lingered on the water; small voices that yet sounded strong. By the light of the moon I counted twenty-seven drifters, some of them great harbour craft from Cornwall, carrying fifteen or more nets. It seemed as if not a herring on that little fishing ground could escape the long fleets of nets.
We lighted the paraffin flare; supped on sandwiches and oily tea. We stamped about the stern-sheets to try and warm our feet. We sat awhile beneath the cutty. We thought we smelt fish, but it might have been only the smoke from our oil fire and the herring roe plastered about the boat. Despairing of sleep in such a cold, we sang and smoked.
Presently a plash of oars. Little punts were detaching themselves from the larger drifters and flitting about on the sea like slow-winged moon-b.u.t.terflies. One came alongside.
"Whu"s that there?"
"Tony an" John Widger--Have "em been catching much to Hallsands?--Be they Plymouth drifters up t"night?--What price yu been making?--How deep yu got yer nets?--Have "ee catched holt the bottom?--How"s Aaron an" Charles?--Did he get back ort o" his gear?--Us an"t done a gert deal eet. Few thousands thees week. Be yu going to haul in soon?--Better, be her? Thought her was dead by now...."
[Sidenote: _HAULING IN_]
The fish-gossip over, we knew all the news of our stretch of coast.
After taking another cigarette and another pull at our "drop o" summut short," the man in the punt rowed off to his drifter.
"D" yu know your fourth buoy"s awash?" he shouted back.
"Is it, by G.o.d!" said John.
"I can see "tis," said Tony.
"G"out! why didn" "ee see "twas afore then? Let"s go an" luke."
We buoyed the end of the road and started rowing alongside the net-buoys. The fourth was bobbing up and down. The fifth appeared now and then. None of the others was visible.
"d.a.m.n"d if us bain"t going to see some sport!" shouted John as we hastened back to take up the road.
We tugged on oilskins and then waited watchfully--for the inside net to fill as well. The third buoy disappeared. The second went awash. "Now "tis time, ain"t it?"
"Iss, I reckon."
We bent to it, and began to haul.
The road come in heavy: John hauled and Tony coiled. As the net rose we saw a shimmer in the water, not of sea-fire--it was too cold--but of silver-sided herring. Then John took the foot of the net, Tony the mesh and myself the headrope. One strain. Altogether! Net and fish came in over the gunwale.
"No use to try and pick "em out yer!" said John.
"Us "ould never ha" got "em in wi" two," panted Tony.
"Haul, casn"! Trim the boat. We"m going to hae all us can carry if t"other nets be so full as thees yer."
We hauled, and pulled, and puffed and swore. The fish came over the side like a band of jewels, like shining grains on a huge and never-ending ear of corn, like a bright steel mat.... It was as if the moonlight itself, that flooded air and water, was solidifying into fish in the dimmer depths of the sea. A good catch must have dropped back out of the net. At times, it seemed as if nothing could move the headrope. I jammed a knee against the gunwale, waited till the dipping of the boat gave me a foot or two of line, then jammed again to hold it. The sea-birds screeched at their feast.
Tony, an inflated mannikin, danced on the piled-up nets and fish.
"Help, help!" he cried to the next drifter. "Us got a catch."
"Hould yer row!"
"Help, help!"
"Shut up, yu fule!--We"m not done yet.--Thee doesn"t want to pay for help, dost?"
[Sidenote: _THE CATCH OF THE SEASON_]
We hauled, pulled, puffed and swore again. Yard by yard the nets came up, now foul, now broken, now tangled, now wound about the headrope and almost solid with fish.
"Oh, my poor back."
"Lord, my arms!"
"Casn" thee trim a boat better"n that?"
"Where "er down tu?"
"There"s only two strakes to spare."
The water was within less than a foot of the gunwale, and we were five or six miles from home.
"Help, help!" shouted Tony again, and this time we let it pa.s.s. Five out of our seven nets were aboard; we could not take the remaining two.
Another drifter came alongside and took in the sixth net.
"Come on! here"s the seventh--the last."
"Can"t take no more."
"Ther"s on"y thees yer outside net. Casn" thee take thic?"
"Can"t du it. We"m leaking now. Here"s your headrope. Good-night."
Tony gave a gesture of despair. "What shall us du? Us can"t take in much more.
"Hould yer row, an" haul!"
The last net was fuller than ever. We hauled in half of it. A punt came near. "Can "ee take one net?" yelled Tony.
"Us got "en half in now," said John.