t the smacksman runs the risk of a hurt
of some kind in every minute of his waking life. He must work with his
oilskins on when rain or spray is coming aboard, and his oilskins fray
the skin when the edges wear a little; then the salt water gets into the
sore and makes a nasty ulcer, which eats its way up until you may see
men who dare not work at the trawl without having their sleeves doubled
to the elbow. Then there are the salt water cracks which cut their way
right to the bone. These, and toothache, the fisherman's great enemy,
are the ailments which may be cured or relieved by the skippers of the
Mission smacks. In a single year nearly eight thousand cases have been
treated in the floating dispensaries, and I may say that I never saw a
malingerer come on board. What would be the use? It is only the stress
of positive pain that makes the men seek help, and their hard stoicism
is very fine to see. A man unbinds an ugly poisoned hand, and quietly
lets you know that he has gone about his work for a week with that
throbbing fester paining him; another will simply say that he kept about
as long as he could with a broken finger. Then there are cases of a
peculiarly distressing nature--scalp wounds caused by falling blocks,
broken limbs in various stages of irritation, internal injuries caused
by violent falls in bad weather, and for all these there is ready and
hearty help aboard the Mission vessel.

Scarcely one of the North Sea converts has turned out badly, for they
usually have the stern stuff of good men in them; they have that manly
and passionate gratitude which only the true and honest professor, free
from taint of humbug or hypocrisy, can maintain, and I say deliberately
that every man of them who is brought to lead a pure, sober, religious
life, represents a distinct gain to our best national wealth--a wealth
that is far above money.

I know that my dream may be translated into fact, for have we not the
early success of the superb hospital smack to reassure us? Let us go a
little farther and complete the work; let us make sure that no poor,
maimed seaman shall be without a chance of speedy relief when his hard
fate overtakes him on that savage North Sea. The fishers are the forlorn
hope in the great Army of Labour; they risk life and limb every
day--every moment--in our behoof; surely the luckier children of
civilization may remember their hardly entreated brethren? No sentiment
is needed in the business, and g