condemn, in crisp phrases, the botheration of boots that leaked and the need of a second plug-strap on the bottom of a dory." There ought to be a new law about plugstraps," said Martin.

a

“Did ever a man yet come off the bottom of a dory and not speak about the plug straps?" commented one. "And leaky boots is the devil," affirmed another notorious talker this one, who bunked up in the peak, where he could be dimly seen now - his head out of his bunk that his voice might carry the better. "I bought a pair of boots in Boston once a Jew up on Atlantic

-

Avenue "In Heaven's will name, you shut up you and your Atlantic Avenue boots? We'll never hear the end of those boots."

The man in the peak subsided, and he who had quelled him, near to the stove and smoking a pipe, went on for himself," And what were you thinkin' of, Martin, when you thought you were goin'?

"Or did you think any time that you was goin'? asked somebody else.

"Indeed and I did, and a dozen times I thought it — and that 'twas a blessed cold kind of a day for a man to be soaking his feet in the ocean."

"And yet the lad in the peak was in commission again" and yet warn't it some professor said in that book that somebody was reading out of the other day warn't it him said that salt water ain't nigh so cold as fresh. Is it, Martin?"

--

"As to that," answered Martin, "I dunno. But I wish 'twas that professor's feet, not mine, was astraddle the bottom of that dory - not to wish him any harm

but a winter's day and the wind no 'therly, I found it cold enough."

"I went into a Turkish bath parlor in New York one time," came the conversational voice from the peak, "and hot? My Lord

"The man," said the next on watch, taking his mitts from the line above the stove "the man that'd talk about hot Turkish baths on a night like this to sea Turkish baths, and Lord in Heaven, two good long hours up there He halted to take a sniff up the companion-way. "Two hours-what ought to be done with the like o' him?”

The man by the stove, who awhile before had vanquished the lad in the peak, took his pipe long enough from his mouth to observe, "And for four years now to my knowledge he's been tryin' to tell how hot 'twas in that Turkish bath."

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Hit him with a gob-stick," suggested the cook "or this rolling-pin "- he was flattening out pie-crust. A gob-stick or a rolling-pin," said the next on watch, "is too good for him. Here, take this," and passed the cook's hatchet along the lockers.

The opening and closing of the hatch after the watch had gone on deck admitted a blast of air that made the man in the bunk nearest the steps draw up his legs. The flame in the lamp flared; whereat the original inquirer got up to set the lamp chimney more firmly over the base of the burner, and before he sat down put the question again. What he wanted to know was how Martin felt when he thought he was sure enough going. “The last fifteen or twenty minutes or so I bet you did some thinkin', didn't you, Martin?”

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"A little," admitted Martin, and with a long arm gaffed another potato. Toward the end of it the sea did begin to take on a gray look that I know now was grayer than any mortal sea ever could've been.'

"And what were you thinkin' of then, Martin? "What was I thinking of? What - Lord, but these apple dumplings are great stuff, arn't they? You don't want to let any of those dumplings get past you, Johnnie. Never mind how used up you feel, come out of your bunk and try 'em. Five or six good plump dumplings inside of you and you'll forget you ever saw a dory."

"He's asleep, Martin."

"Is he? Well, maybe 'tis just as well. 'Twas a hard drag for poor John today. What was I thinking of, you asked me. Well, I'll tell you what I was thinking of. You know what store I set by a good razor. I'd go a hundred mile for a good razor a good razor time. You all know that, don't you?"

"Yes. yes

any

"Well, this last time out I brought aboard as fine a looking razor as ever a man laid against his face. Oh, I saw you all eying it the last time I took it out. Don't pretend I know you. It's right there in my diddybox, and before I turn in tonight it's a good scrape I'm going to give myself with it-yes. Well, when Johnnie'd said, Good-by, Martin 'said it for the second time 'Good-by, Martin, don't mind me any more look out for yourself' said that, and I'd said, ' Hold on a little longer' to him for about the tenth time well, about that time, when I did begin to think we were sure enough going with it coming on dark and no sign

of the vessel in sight-then it was I couldn't help wondering who in hell aboard this vessel was going to get my razor.

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When everybody had done laughing, and after two or three had told how they felt when they were on the bottom of a dory, the persistent one asked again," Martin, but you must've had some close calls in your time?" My share no more. He was taking a look around the table as he spoke. A lingering, regretful look, and then he gave up any further thought of it. "Ah-h," he sighed, "but I cert'nly took the good out of that meal," and leaning against the nearest bunkboard his own drew out his pipe from beneath the mattress. My share and no more," he repeated, and reached across to the shelf in his bunk and drew forth a plug of tobacco. He cut off the proper quantity and rolled it around between his palms the proper length of time before he spoke again. With the pipe between his teeth he had to speak more slowly. "Any' man that's been thirty years trawling will nat 'rally have a few things happen to him. Today, makes the third time I've been on the bottom of a dory — and cold weather each time just my blessed luck cold weather each time" -three times he blew through the stem of his pipe- and I don't want to be there the fourth. Eddie-boy, hand me a wisp out of the broom at your elbow."

While Martin was cleaning out his pipe somebody put the question generally. Would they rather be on the bottom of a dory out to sea or on a vessel piled up on the rocky shore somewhere?

"On the rocks for me.'

"And for me.

Yes, a chance to get ashore from a wreck, but the bottom of a dory with the sea breaking over you, and it cold maybe cert'nly it's never any too warm wr-r-h!'

26

There seemed to be no doubt of what they would take for their choice. "And yet," commented Martin when the last word had been said, I dunno but the closest call ever I had was when the Oliver Cromwell went ashore and was lost off Whitehead."

Cripes, but I'm glad I warn't on her. A bad business that. a bad business. Hand me that plate, will you, Martin "

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-this from the cook.

-

Sure, boy here y'are — an armful of plates. Cook on a fisherman's the last job I'd want - you're never done. And you're right it was a bad business, cook. When you' 've seen nineteen men washed over one after the other, every man - every man but one, that is putting up the divil's own fight for his life before he went I dunno but what it must be worse than going down at sea altogether, all hands in one second with no chance at all-though that must be hard enough, too."

Silence for a while, and then Martin continued: "If I had it to do over again two long puffs - to do over and be lost instead of saved, I don't know but what I'd rather founder at sea myself. Nineteen men lost eighteen good men Lord, but 'twas cruel!"

Martin, with his head back, was gazing thoughtfully up at the deck-beams. A gentle leading question, and he resumed.

"We left Gloucester that trip with the skipper's —