"Oh, flesh! how art thou fishified;" and begin to think that Shakspeare
might have had a living original for his horrid Caliban: for they are
mostly selected from amongst fishermen, on account of their excellent
knowledge of the coast, and most perfectly retain their amphibious
characteristics. The good humoured Dutch looking face is, however,
wanting; they have a savage angularity of feature, the effect of their
antisocial trade; one feels a sort of creeping horror on approaching a
fellow creature, armed at all points, in a lone and solemn place, the
haunts of desperate men, and on whose tongue an embargo is laid to speak
to no one, pacing the surly rocks, his hands on his arms, ready to deal
forth death on the first legal opportunity. Beings such as these an
amiable and delicate mind shudders to contemplate, and always finds it
difficult to conceive; yet, such are the preventive men who line our
coast--melancholy examples of the truth stated at the outset of this
paper. Occasionally, however, the good traveller will, much to his joy,
meet with an exception to this sad rule, in the person of an old
tar, whom necessity has pressed into the service, and who from long
acquaintance with the pleasures of traversing the mighty ocean, feels
little pleasure in staring at it like an inactive land-lubber, a
character which he holds in hearty contempt; besides, to fire at a
fellow Briton is against his nature; thief or no thief it crosses his
grain, and he looks at his pistols and hates himself. His situation is
miserable; he is truly a fish out of water; he loves motion, but is
obliged to stand still; his glory is a social "bit of jaw," but he dares
not speak; he rolls his disconsolate quid over his silent tongue, and is
as wretched as a caged monkey. Poor fellow! how happy would a companion
make you, to whom you could relate your battles, bouts, and courtships;
but mum is the order, and Jack is used to an implicit obeyance of
head-quarter orders. The sight of an outward bound vessel drives him
mad.