The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lively Poll, by R.M. Ballantyne

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Title: The Lively Poll
A Tale of the North Sea

Author: R.M. Ballantyne

Release Date: November 6, 2007 [EBook #23377]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVELY POLL ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The Lively Poll, by R.M. Ballantyne.

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The scene opens with one of the many North Sea fishing fleets at work on
its grounds. One of the boats is commanded by a man who is called the
Admiral of the fleet. He commands the other boats as to when and where
they are to start working with their trawl nets, for if such control
were not imposed there would be chaos, with a hundred or more boats
crossing each other's paths and consequently entangling their nets.

After a night's fishing the fish are gutted, filleted, and boxed. A
steam vessel approaches, and takes their catches, so that they can be
landed at the nearest fishing port, such as Yarmouth and Gorleston, and
rushed to London and other great cities, to be fresh on tables the
following day.

But there is another type of vessel that trades with the "Lively Poll"
and other ships of that fishing fleet--the Dutch "coper", bringing goods
to trade for fish, including tobacco and schnapps, for the Demon Drink
is the ruination of many a good man. That is what this book is really
all about, the ruination of some men, and the salvation of others, for
even out at sea there are missionaries working to try and save souls.

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THE LIVELY POLL, BY R.M. BALLANTYNE.

CHAPTER ONE.

THE FLEET.

Manx Bradley was an admiral--"admiral of the fleet"--though it must be
admitted that his personal appearance did not suggest a position so
exalted.

With rough pilot coat and sou'-wester, scarred and tarred hands, easy,
rolling gait, and boots from heel to hip, with inch-thick soles, like
those of a dramatic buccaneer, he bore as little resemblance to the
popular idea of a lace-coated, brass-buttoned, cock-hatted admiral as a