Sentence:  Philander went into the next room[...]and came back with a salt mackerel[...]. Next he put the mackerel in a fry-pan, and the shanty began to <WSD>smell</WSD> like a Banks boat just in from a v'yage. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  "Followed by" '''(like)''' "or" '''(of)''' "if descriptive": to have a particular smell, whether good or bad.