194 WILD WINGS 



not ready for the bluefish, but the birds had done their 

 part. 



It was my purpose to spend another day off Pollock Rip 

 and enjoy possible new developments. Next day the wind 

 blew a gale offshore, and evidently it blew all the birds away 

 out to sea, for on the day following, when I tried it again, 

 first catching a liberal supply of dog-fish outside the bar, there 

 was hardly a bird to be found, despite a long sail, and far off- 

 shore at that. It was necessary, then, to return home, so I had 

 to content myself with what I had already secured. 



The next year, in August, I tried it again. This time some- 

 thing remarkable happened. I got offshore the first day, 

 without any delay. Even thus I had to have a litde fuss and 

 fret. I arrived at Chatham late in the preceding afternoon, 

 with favorable weather. Then the wind had to haul to the 

 eastward, and i)l()\v hard in the night. The old bars began 

 to moan, and in the morning we could see a line of breakers 

 across the entrance. " Too rough," announced the skipper. 

 Yet he thought we might be able to get out when the tide 

 turned in. So we ran down about ten o'clock, the party 

 including two friends, a gentleman and his wife, both ardent 

 bird-lovers. They confessed to being wretched sailors, iiut 

 they were so eager to see those ocean-birds I had written 

 about that thev were willing to take the necessary punish- 

 ment. 



While we were still inside the point of the " north beach," 

 before we took the swell, we saw many gulls and terns of 

 various species, and were having such a good time that the 

 lady remarked very naively that she might make a sailor 

 after all, which completely upset the gravity of the skipper. 

 Alas, as we rounded the point and shoal and plunged into 

 the swell, our "lands-people" were soon prostrated, though 

 they remained courageous. Up in the harbor the wind was 



