Chateau and Country Life in FranceWaddington, Mary King
General
Chateau and Country Life in France
Waddington, Mary King
France -- Social life and customs
We went this morning with the Baron de G., who is at the head of one of
the fishing companies here, to see one of their boats come in and
unload. It was a steam trawler, with enormous nets, that had been
fishing off the English coast near Land's End. There were quite a number
of people assembled on the quay--a policeman, a garde du port, an agent
of the company, and the usual lot of people who are always about when a
fishing-boat comes in. Her cargo seemed to be almost entirely of fish
they call here saumon blanc. They were sending up great baskets of them
from the hold where they were very well packed in ice; half-way up they
were thrown into a big tub which cleaned them--took off the salt and
gave them a silvery look. They are put by hundreds into hand-carts which
were waiting and carried off at once to the Halles. They had brought in
3,500 fish, but didn't seem to think they had made a very good haul. The
whole cargo had been sold to a marieur and was sent off at once, by
him, all over the country.
Other boats were also sending their cargo to the Halles. They had all
kinds of fish--soles, mackerel, and a big red fish I didn't know at all.
I wouldn't have believed, if I had not seen it with my own eyes, that
such a bright-coloured fish could exist. However, a very sharp little
boy, who was standing near and who answered all my questions, told me
they were rougets. We went on to the Halles--a large gray stone building
facing the sea--rather imposing with a square tower on top, from which
one can see a long way out to sea and signal incoming fishing-boats. It
was very clean--water running over the white marble slabs, and women,
with pails and brushes, washing and wiping the floor. It is evidently a
place that attracts strangers; many tourists were walking about--one
couple, American, I think, passing through in an automobile and laying
in a stock of lobsters and crabs (the big deep-sea crabs) and rougets.
The man rather hesitated about leaving his auto in the streets; they had
no chauffeur with them, tried to find a boy who would watch it. For a
wonder none was forthcoming, but two young fishwives, who were standing
near, said they would; when the man came back with his purchases he gave
each of them a five-franc piece, which munificence so astounded them
that they could hardly find words to thank him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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