f block and tackle.

"You never trouble yourself about my feelin's, father, so long's I do my
dooty," said the boy with native insolence, as he looked eagerly over
the side at the mass of fish which gleamed faintly white as it neared
the surface, while he helped with all his little might to draw in the
net.

"But I want to teach you more than dooty, my boy," returned the skipper.
"I've got to make a man of you. I promised that to your mother, you
know. If you want to be a man, you must foller my example--be cool an'
steady."

"If I'm to foller your example, father, why don't you let me foller it
all round, an' smoke an' drink as well?"

"Shut up, you agrawatin' sinner," growled the skipper. "Heave away,
lads. Here, hand me the rope, an' send aft the tackle."

By this time the heavy beam had been secured to the side of the vessel,
most of the net hauled in, and the bag, or cod-end, was above the
surface filled almost to bursting with upwards of a ton of turbots,
soles, haddocks, plaice, dabs, whitings, etcetera, besides several
hundredweight of mud, weeds, stones, and oysters. Sometimes, indeed,
this bag does burst, and in one moment all the profit and toil of a
night's fishing is lost.

When the skipper had secured a strong rope round the bag and hooked it
on to a block and tackle made fast to the rigging, the order was given
to heave away, and gradually the ponderous mass rose like an oval
balloon, or buoy, over the vessel's side. When it cleared the rail it
was swung inwards and secured in a hanging position, with the lower end
sweeping the deck as the smack rolled from side to side. In all these
operations, from the prolonged heaving at the capstan to the hauling in
of the net, hand over hand, the men were exerting their great physical
powers to the uttermost--almost without a moment's relaxation--besides
being deluged at times by spray, which, however, their oiled frocks,
long boots, and sou'-westers prevented from quite drenching them. But
now all danger of loss was over, and they proceeded to liberate the
fish.

The cod-end had its lower part secured by a strong rope. All that had
to be done, therefore, was to untie the rope and open the bottom of the
net.

It fell to Luke Trevor to do this. Billy was standing by in eager
expectation. Ned Spivin stood behind him. Now, we have said that
Spivin was fond of chaffing his mates and of practical jokes. So was
Billy, and between these two, therefo