nny. Not so hard as it used
to be, though. I can remember when I was a younker we used to go fishing
for cod off the Dogger Bank, which is a great ridge of hills at the
bottom of the sea, not far from the coast of Holland. We'd be out for a
good while, and not have much to eat except cod b'iled or cod fried in a
pan; and if there was much sea on, and the wind blowin' a gale, it was a
hard matter to cook it at all. Now the cutters bring us some of our meat
and vegetables and soft bread; but still the boys have a hard time.

"If it's the herring-boys, they have to watch the floats--the big, round
things that you'll see at the edge of the nets, Ben--to keep them near
the top of the water; and whether it's drift-nets or trawling-nets, they
must take their share of hauling in and of playing out, night or day.
More than that, too: any sort of work is boy's work, whether it's to
swab the decks or to take a turn at frying fish in the cooking-galley,
or paying a boat with tar, or helping to take a boat-load of fish off to
the cutter in bad weather, when the waves tosses so that the fish, being
loose, may slide, so that one side of the boat may heel over, and before
you know where you are you're capsized and struggling in the dark, cold
sea, with a singing in your ears, and the faint cries of your mates just
as bad off as you are."

"But, of course, it isn't always so bad," said Ben.

"Well, no; and there's times when we've no call to grumble. Such weather
as this, when there's green sea and blue sky, and bright sun overhead
and clear moonlight nights, with fresh and light breezes to take the
sail. Nothing could seem more pleasant than the life of a fisherman if
it was always like that; but then, this isn't exactly fishing weather,
Ben, and however fine it may be the boys haven't any idle time of it.

"There's always ropes to splice, or sails or nets to mend, or something
to clean or to scrape, or to pay down with tar; and if there's any good
in going out at all the nets must be looked to and lowered and hauled
in. Even on Sundays there's things to be attended to by the lads, and
though I don't say as 'ow boys is made to do useless work, yet, when
they're there on that day, they toil pretty hard for little 'uns.

"And now, Ben, if you don't object, I'm going to smoke a bit o' bacca,
and then you can rest your tongue a bit, if you like."

But Ben had a hundred more questions to ask about the fishing-boats, or
"smacks," as the