?'

Charlie had, and he gave it to him.

'We shall want tea again after shooting,' the mate said to Charlie as he
replaced the mug on the hook.

Leaving the big kettle on the stove, Charlie went out to witness the
preparations for beginning fishing, and was just in time to see the men
anchor a small buoy, fitted with a light and a flag. This was anchored
so that the _Sparrow-hawk_, by keeping it in sight, should not wander
away from the fishing-ground. They were in about twenty-six fathoms of
water, and, if they lost sight of the buoy, they would probably steam
into deeper water, and the net would then be unable to reach the bottom.
By day the fishermen keep within sight of the buoy-flag; by night they
watch the buoy-light. In fishing fleets, when some twenty or thirty
steam trawlers belong to one firm, an old smack called a 'mark-ship' is
anchored on the fishing-ground. It can be seen for many miles in
daylight, and by night its whereabouts is made known by rockets fired
from it. But 'single boaters,' such as the _Sparrow-hawk_, have to rely
upon their own little flag and light-buoys.

When the _Sparrow-hawk_ had anchored her buoy she steamed off, and,
punctually at five o'clock, 'shot her gear,' or, in plainer language,
lowered her big triangular fishing-net. This having been done without a
hitch, the men had their tea. Charlie took his in the galley, having
determined to spend as little time as possible in the foc's'le. He had
discovered that the crew of the _Sparrow-hawk_ was composed of the black
sheep of Grimsby and Hull. They were men whom no decent North Sea
skipper would have had on his boat. On nearly all the trawlers working
out of Yarmouth, Grimsby, and Hull, the men are fine, manly,
thoroughbred Englishmen, facing danger fearlessly and uncomplainingly
year in and year out. Drunkenness is almost unknown among them, and bad
language is rarely heard. If Charlie had been on almost any other boat
than the _Sparrow-hawk_ he would have thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the
foc's'le table, having a chat with the men. But to save a few pounds the
skipper had engaged, at low wages, men who were known to be bad
characters, and who could not, therefore, get a job on any other
trawler. Skipper Drummond had himself been discharged for drunkenness by
the owners of a fleet in whose employ he had been for some years. Where
he got the money from to purchase a trawler was a mystery to most
people, although it was discovered l