The Silver Darlings by Neil M. Gunn Page A

almost gone. From Scrabster round to Wick there had been good shots caught and landed. Then word came that the herring were off Clyth. On the Friday afternoon, Roddie’s boat, the Morning Star ,was the first to put to sea. He had decided to go and meet the herring. Up went his brown sail in a pleasant wind off the land. South-side boats were soon after him, and tailing far behind came the small local craft on their oars.
    “That’s Roddie leading the way,” said young lads from the cliff-tops. The bellying sail sent a thrill through them. The sail was the thing! Watching it, fascinated, they felt charged with adventure and great deeds.
    But in the morning it seemed that luck had still avoided Dunster. Small boats drew up on the edge of the tide and fishermen carried their empty nets behind the gutting stations to spread them on the green. Then a boat arrived with three crans of full herring, another with two, another with five. Voices began to rise. The creels poured their silver treasure into the gutting boxes.
    But George Bremner stood idly beside Mr. Hendry. An hour later the total catch of nine boats out of their fleet of ten was four crans. The tenth boat, the Morning Star ,had yet to come.
    It was a small fishing, voices cried, but it was a beginning ! A few of the larger boats were still to come, however. One arrived with sevencrans, a second with only a creel, but the Thistle of Buckie put in with the top shot of the day, eleven crans.
    Mr. Hendry could not contain himself, and above the hubbub shouted in English to the skipper:
    “Any sign of the Morning Star ?”
    “Ay, he’s comin’.”
    “Has he any herring?”
    “Judging by the maas aboot him, I’d say he hes; but he wis well to the east’ard of us.”
    The Officer of the Board of Fisheries, who now arrived on the scene, had a look at the herring.
    “They’ll take the ‘Crown Full’ brand, Officer?” said the curer concerned.
    The Officer nodded. “Yes, I’ll give you the ‘Full’ brand for them all right,” he answered with a smile.
    The branding of the Crown with a hot iron on the barrel of cured herring indicated the quality and assured the payment of the four-shilling bounty. Herring of the best quality , herring that were not spent, had the word “Full” branded below the Crown. The foreign merchant accepted these brands, and bought and sold on them, in a faith that was never let down.
    The curer to whom the Thistle was engaged began poking sly fun at Mr. Hendry, who grew more restless with his voice tending to rise into a shout. He was defiant, because inwardly he Was fearful and cast down. If only the Morning Star would arrive with, say, twelve or thirteen crans, by God, that would show them! He stumped away to keep his anxiety within bounds. If, on the other hand, Roddie arrived with no more than a creel or two…. Feeling his hopes crashing in upon him, Mr. Hendry was unable to pursue the thought further.
    But when, at long last, the Morning Star was seen coming round the Head, low to the sea, as if nearly sunk, Mr.Hendry stood dead still. A voice cried, “By the Lord, he’s in them to the gunnels!”
    Women excitedly crowded to the crest of the beach, shoving their way among the men and boys. The Morning Star approached slowly under four oars, followed by a whirling cloud of maas (gulls). The early breath of sea wind had taken off and the water swung and glittered under a bright sky. The two after oars were shipped and Roddie, at the tiller, guided the forefoot of his boat gently on to the sloping shingle.
    “She has thirty crans,” cried George Bremner, “if she has a herring!”
    But Hendry could not answer him. He could not speak. Indeed the boat wavered before him and he impatiently swept the back of a hand across his eyes. Then he roared at Roddie, “Well done!” and waved his fist.
    Roddie smiled.
    *
    That Saturday evening, the inn was besieged by a vast crowd, more varied and strange-tongued than in all its history,