[299] HISTORY OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



mackerel. Having obtained a fare of 300 barrels about the middle of 

 August, we returned home, arriving in Gloucester on the 26th. We 

 packed out our fish and again went back to the bay on a second trip. 

 After arriving in the bay the second time we fished principally about 

 the Magdaleus and the north shore of Prince Edward Island, especially 

 in the vicinity of Malpec, and the North Cape of the island. On one 

 occasion during the fall, while fishing near Cascnmpec with a large 

 fleet, a smart northwest gale came on very suddenly in the afternoon, 

 and most of the fleet went into Malpec. We also made an attempt to 

 enter the harbor, but owing to the crowded condition of the vessels in 

 the channel and the danger of being injured by a collision, decided to 

 run out again and lay by for the night, which we did. During the night 

 the iron plate on the stem to which our jibstay set up, was carried 

 away and obliged us to go into harbor the following day for repairs. 

 We were detained in Malpec several days on account of the strong 

 winds and stormy weather. After leaving the harbor we ran up to- 

 ward North Cape, trying the ground with the fleet, but failed to find 

 mackerel in satisfactory numbers. We therefore ran across to the 

 Magdalens, where we contiuued fishing with indifferent success until 

 well into October. Being caught out in a northeast gale, which came 

 on suddenly one afternoou, we had our sails badly torn, and were 

 obliged to run across the following day to Port Hood for shelter, from 

 which place we proeeded to Canso for repairs and to land a sick man. 

 Leaving Canso, we ran across again to the Magdalens; but not finding 

 any mackerel, returned to Port Hood. In the mean time, during the 

 four or five days while we had been absent at the Magdalens, a fleet of 

 vessels had found mackerel exceedingly abundant about Margaree 

 Island and Cheticamp, on the north side of Cape Breton, and had ob- 

 tained exceedingly large catches, in some instances almost entire fares 

 having been caught in this short time. The day on which we arrived at 

 Port Hood, with other vessels from the Magdalens, the wind was north- 

 east, blowing a strong breeze, and most of the vessels which had been 

 engaged in fishing along the Cape Breton shore ran into Port Hood for 

 a harbor. On the following day, the wind having changed to the south- 

 west, we, together with many of the other vessels, ran down to the north- 

 eastward, along the Cape Breton shore, past Margaree, to Cheticamp 

 where we found a fleet of about 75 sail of schooners busily engaged in 

 catching mackerel, which were biting eagerly just off the mouth of the 

 harbor. Although we did not reach the fleet until about noon, and had 

 consequently but few hours to fish, we succeeded in taking 75 wash-barrels 

 of fine large mackerel. Thatnight mostof the fleet lay to off Cheticamp, 

 preferring to do this instead of anchoring in this one-sided and extremely 

 unsafe harbor. On the following morning it was found that the body of 

 mackerel had changed its position considerably, and the fish were first 

 found off the eastern end of Cheticamp Island some six or seven miles 

 from where they had been taken the previous afternoon. By this time a 



