Part 46 (2/2)
There was a moment's pause
”You in the boat and dory?”
”All ready, sir,” answered the seine-master
”Ready, dory?”
”All ready”
”Hard up, Dave! Steady a little A little! Don't you knohat a little is? Ready in the boat, there! Steady with that wheel! Now you've got her You in the boat, there Got that new-fangled net ready?”
”Ready,” cried the statistician shortly Then Colin understood The trip was for the purpose of testing out a new net devised by the Bureau and the Fisheries man was a net expert No wonder he knew a boat!
”Stand by the boat Ready, the dory! When I give the word! Hold on a bit with the painter! Now let her go! You in the dory there, show your lantern! All your oay now!”
Colin tugged at his oar Never, in all his experience in rowing, had he tackled anything like an oar of that size, but he pulled for all he orth, and a glow ran through hiht dory with twoafter them It was nearly a half-mile pull before the seine-master cried:
”Over with the buoy!”
And the buoy was tossed overboard for the dory to pick up and hold to ard
Then the silent Fisheries officer got busy Without a word, he reached for the net It was hter twine than custo also different corks to the usual type, and sinkers all over the net It looked like a fearfully co to handle and Roote was a siant
”You're a jiht,” said the seine-ly He turned to the rowers, ”Put your backs into it, boys,” he said; ”drive her for all you kno We've got to give this new contraption a fair chance”
”How much net out now, sir?” he asked the statistician in a few minutes
”Quarter of a mile,” was the reply
”Shall we close in then, eh?”
”You'd better”
The seine- that the school of mackerel had been inclosed, turned the seine-boat towards the dory and, under the powerful arms of the fishermen, the circle was soon co rapidly, and just as the seine-boat reached the dory a sharp rain squall struck But the cry was, ”Purse up!” for until a seine is partly pursed up, there is no telling whether the fish are really in or not For a moment, however, it was al so savagely
”Pull!” said Roote, suiting the action to the word, and all hands joined hihter than the old fishermen's nets, and there was more than one audible comment to the effect that the net would break, and that it was too bad they hadn't one of the old-style nets around the school, but the pursing in continued, and the net showed no signs of breakage Presently first one, then another, fish flashed above the water, and a minute later the shi+ne of thethousands of fish, rose in a body to the surface, beating the water with their forked tails, and threshi+ng in mad confusion from side to side
The seine-ood deal of concern
”That's a big haul,” he said; ”will your net stand it?”
There was no hesitation in the reply
”Yes,” he said
”Then I'm willin' to admit,” said the seine-et as big a net as light as that an'