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thcn they would get the going-over. (C.M. What other kind of tricks did ),ou play
on crew members?) Basically that was about it. (C.M. Are ),OU sure? I've been
given a hint there were other things.) Probably there is but I wouldn' t want to go
into itlwith a girl] Just practicaljokcs--nothing that would hurt an)'body. A ship
is no place to frolic... Frenched their beds a lot.,. Apple pic... Somebody new
comes aboard we send 'em down for a bucket ofsteam for the hot water.
Sometimes the)' fall for it or they get halfway down the engine room and realize
it was a joke played on ·em... eggs in the bottom ofthc bcd. lillie bit ofgrease.
odds and ends so they slide in easier. Make beds really tight Someone ),OU \ ..ere
assigned to. ),ou would tight up the bed so \\hen they gel in at night, they would
have a job and a half- tucking in really tight. Don't play any trick on the captain
because he can play one trick on ),ou [fire )'OU).I26
This chapter has built a composite account ofgoing in collar and the passage to
the Labrador. The preparations for the trip marked the beginning ofthe process of
separation from home, family, and community life. The voyagc itselfconstituted the act
ofseparation. Thc "freightcrs" (passengers) fanned new groups for the duration ofthe
lrip which provided opportunities for initiating newcomers and for developing thcir own
sense ofgroup identity through the exchange ofsongs and stories. and for justifying their
continual participation ill lhe Labrador fishery. The voyage was lhe last opportunity for
large grollp interaction until the fishing stopped in mid-August. The lore nnd traditions of
the passage \0 Labrador are analogous to the processcs of scparation and displacement of
normal community structure. In hazardous situations and in close quarters, people - who
under nonnal circumstances might be scpamtcd by religion. class. and gender· had to
pull together for the good ofall. A common theme was that "we were all in this together"
and therefore. "freighters" had to be living insurance for each other against natural and
'26 1 FLA 86-013. C8672.
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