These are rough notes to serve as land marks. At nine this morning, we sat over our breakfast despondently, the mist deciding us to give up our expedition to Mullion. Suddenly T. threw up the window & shouted "pilchards in the bay".
We leapt as though we were in the seine boat ourselves, & before half past nine we were out by the Hewers house on the point. It was at once obvious that the news was more than true. Not only were there pilchards but two nets were already out, lying like dark scars in the water in the bay. The gathering of the Hewers was not large as yet, but it was eminently professional. A line of watchers stood on the wall all the way along: some with megaphones, others with globes tied up in white bags. Great was the excitement for the schools of fish were still passing through the bay & all the pilchard boats were in motion like long black insects with rows of legs. Our friend Mr. Hain called us to him & showed us a certain faint purple shadow, passing slowly outside the rocks. That was a shoal he said — the boats were coming round to shoot their seines over it. As they neared the place the megaphones brayed unintelligibly & the white globes were waved emphatically. Answering shouts came from the boats. Finally we saw that two boats had stopped & the rowers were picking up handfuls of net & dropping them over board; as they did this they slowly separated, & made the dotted line of the net spread out in a circle between them; all the time the shouts went on, for the men at the hewers were guiding every movement; they alone could tell the exact position of the fish. The net was then joined & the boat went through various manoeuvres with the low ropes. It was just possible for us now that it was thus circumscribed to see the faint spin of deeper purple within the circle; it looked like one of those sudden ruffles of shade which pass across the sea like blushes.
The crowd was now gathering, & we walked from one point to another vainly trying to interpret the hoarse commands of the megaphone which might, for all we understood of them, have been in Cornish. Mr. Hain came running down again, after a time with the news that another school was sighted round the head land; the boats were not yet on the spot. At the Hewers house an intense excitement prevailed. he shoal having rounded the point was the property apparently of the Carbis Bay boats, which had hitherto remained at anchor. They were now underway, & the Hewer who directed them had clambered on to the roof of the Hewers house to make directions more forcible. The boats came slowly towards the floating shadow which we thought we could detect beyond the Carrack rocks. As they neared it, the megaphones roared like foghorns. A certain dwarf in particular had leapt to the roof & was brandishing the white globes as though they were dumb-bells. The boats began to drop the seine; they had half completed the circle when a storm of abuse broke from the hewers house. Language such as I will not try to reproduce swore at them for a boatload of incompetent monkeys; the school was further to the westward & not a fish would enter the nets. "To the west, west, west," roared the megaphones & the naked voices took up the word in the agony of excitement. But pilchard boats are unwieldy things, & their motion was slow. The Hewers could actually see the fish slipping past the point & the net cast in empty water. A thousand pounds as we afterwards learnt, was floating out of their reach. No wonder that the excitement was painful. The net finally enclosed a small portion of the school, & the rest fell a prey to the rival boats. Four seines were now shot & we thought it time to take a boat to the first of them which had been slowly drawn close in to shore. We therefore walked round to the harbour & were rowed out to the spot. When we came near we saw that the enclosed school was of a deep & unmistakable purple; little spurts of water were flickering over the surface, & a silver flash leapt into the air for a second. We took up our places by the row of corks & waited; after a time the empty pilchard boats with their baskets drew up & let down a smaller net, called the tucking net, in the centre of the larger one, so that all the fish were gathered in a small compass. Now all the boats made a circle round the inner net, & the two boats who held the net gradually drew it up. The water within seethed with fish. It was packed with iridescent fish, gleaming silver & purple, leaping in the air; lashing their tails, sending up showers of scales.
Then the baskets were lowered & the silver was scooped up & flung into the boats; it was a sight unlike any one has seen elsewhere, hardly to be described or believed. The fishermen shouted & the fish splashed. The baskets were filled, emptied & plunged into the bubbling mass again, again & again. Nothing seemed to lessen the quantities. The little boats took their fill of fish as they liked; the fishermen stopped to pelt the onlookers with fish; the wealth was inexhaustible.
Three seines lie out in the Bay tonight full of fish which cannot be taken in till Monday. The owners watch anxiously, & the wind is high.
We leapt as though we were in the seine boat ourselves, & before half past nine we were out by the Hewers house on the point. It was at once obvious that the news was more than true. Not only were there pilchards but two nets were already out, lying like dark scars in the water in the bay. The gathering of the Hewers was not large as yet, but it was eminently professional. A line of watchers stood on the wall all the way along: some with megaphones, others with globes tied up in white bags. Great was the excitement for the schools of fish were still passing through the bay & all the pilchard boats were in motion like long black insects with rows of legs. Our friend Mr. Hain called us to him & showed us a certain faint purple shadow, passing slowly outside the rocks. That was a shoal he said — the boats were coming round to shoot their seines over it. As they neared the place the megaphones brayed unintelligibly & the white globes were waved emphatically. Answering shouts came from the boats. Finally we saw that two boats had stopped & the rowers were picking up handfuls of net & dropping them over board; as they did this they slowly separated, & made the dotted line of the net spread out in a circle between them; all the time the shouts went on, for the men at the hewers were guiding every movement; they alone could tell the exact position of the fish. The net was then joined & the boat went through various manoeuvres with the low ropes. It was just possible for us now that it was thus circumscribed to see the faint spin of deeper purple within the circle; it looked like one of those sudden ruffles of shade which pass across the sea like blushes.
The crowd was now gathering, & we walked from one point to another vainly trying to interpret the hoarse commands of the megaphone which might, for all we understood of them, have been in Cornish. Mr. Hain came running down again, after a time with the news that another school was sighted round the head land; the boats were not yet on the spot. At the Hewers house an intense excitement prevailed. he shoal having rounded the point was the property apparently of the Carbis Bay boats, which had hitherto remained at anchor. They were now underway, & the Hewer who directed them had clambered on to the roof of the Hewers house to make directions more forcible. The boats came slowly towards the floating shadow which we thought we could detect beyond the Carrack rocks. As they neared it, the megaphones roared like foghorns. A certain dwarf in particular had leapt to the roof & was brandishing the white globes as though they were dumb-bells. The boats began to drop the seine; they had half completed the circle when a storm of abuse broke from the hewers house. Language such as I will not try to reproduce swore at them for a boatload of incompetent monkeys; the school was further to the westward & not a fish would enter the nets. "To the west, west, west," roared the megaphones & the naked voices took up the word in the agony of excitement. But pilchard boats are unwieldy things, & their motion was slow. The Hewers could actually see the fish slipping past the point & the net cast in empty water. A thousand pounds as we afterwards learnt, was floating out of their reach. No wonder that the excitement was painful. The net finally enclosed a small portion of the school, & the rest fell a prey to the rival boats. Four seines were now shot & we thought it time to take a boat to the first of them which had been slowly drawn close in to shore. We therefore walked round to the harbour & were rowed out to the spot. When we came near we saw that the enclosed school was of a deep & unmistakable purple; little spurts of water were flickering over the surface, & a silver flash leapt into the air for a second. We took up our places by the row of corks & waited; after a time the empty pilchard boats with their baskets drew up & let down a smaller net, called the tucking net, in the centre of the larger one, so that all the fish were gathered in a small compass. Now all the boats made a circle round the inner net, & the two boats who held the net gradually drew it up. The water within seethed with fish. It was packed with iridescent fish, gleaming silver & purple, leaping in the air; lashing their tails, sending up showers of scales.
Then the baskets were lowered & the silver was scooped up & flung into the boats; it was a sight unlike any one has seen elsewhere, hardly to be described or believed. The fishermen shouted & the fish splashed. The baskets were filled, emptied & plunged into the bubbling mass again, again & again. Nothing seemed to lessen the quantities. The little boats took their fill of fish as they liked; the fishermen stopped to pelt the onlookers with fish; the wealth was inexhaustible.
Three seines lie out in the Bay tonight full of fish which cannot be taken in till Monday. The owners watch anxiously, & the wind is high.