“Well, I have heard of sailors eating shark on a pinch, but I’ve got no stomach for it myself; and all it’s fit for is to be chucked overboard,” replied the Captain, carrying out his suggestion without further delay, grumbling as he added— “The brute has spoilt our haul, too, confound it, and damaged our net!”
It was as the Captain said, there being nothing found in the pocket of the trawl, beyond the carcase he had just consigned to its native element, save some mud and a few oyster-shells.
Fortunately, though, the dog-fish had not done quite so much harm as he might; and, after mending a few rents by tying them together with pieces of sennet, which the old sailor had taken the precaution of having ready for such purpose beforehand, the trawl-net was as good as ever, allowing them to “shoot” it again for another dredge.
This time it remained down till the tide turned, a good three hours at least; and the hopes of all were high in expectation when they commenced hauling it in.
“What do you think we’ll catch now?” asked Nell. “Eh, Captain?”
“Well, not a whale, missy,” said the Captain, with his customary chuckle, which to him formed almost a part of his speech. “Still, I fancy we ought to pick up something this time better than a dog-fish.”
These doubts were solved anon; for after a terrible long interval of heaving round the windlass, at which Mr Strong groaned greatly, declaring that his back felt broken from having to stoop nearly double so as to keep out of the way of the swinging boom of the cutter, which swayed to and fro as she rolled about in the tideway, the end of the trawl-beam once more hove in sight alongside, bobbing up endwise out of the water.
“Belay!” sang out the Captain on seeing it, taking a turn with a coil of the rope round the windlass-head to secure it, lest it might whirl round and let the trawl go to the bottom again before they could hoist it inboard. “That will do now, Strong; if you’ll bear a hand we’ll get our spoil in.”
Thereupon he and the barrister leant over the side of the boat as before; and, catching hold of either end of the trawl-beam, they lifted it over the gunwale.
The Captain then swished the folds of the net vigorously, so as to shake what fish might have become entangled in the meshes into the pocket at the end, Bob and Nellie, and likewise Dick, watching the operations with the keenest interest. “Now,” cried the sailor, “we shall see what we shall see!” So saying, he and Mr Strong raised up the net pocket, which was a goodish big bundle and seemed, from its heavy weight, to contain a large number of fish, for it throbbed and pulsated with their struggles; when, cutting with his clasp-knife the stout piece of cord with which the small end of the pocket was tied, the Captain shook out its living contents on the bottom boards in the well—Nell giving a shriek and springing up on one of the thwarts as a slimy sole floundered across her foot, thinking perhaps it was a fellow sole!