BLUE-FISHING. 305 



many years, "taste that; if a man had nothing 

 better he could get along on that. Try some more 

 of it," as the Commissioner made grimaces after 

 taking a mouthful which he had promptly ejected, 

 "you did not get a good taste. It is easy to spit it 

 out if you don't like it." 



" No, thank you," replied the Commissioner, 

 " I've been spitting ever since the first trial. I pre- 

 fer Croton." 



Having exhausted the experimental resources of 

 the spot, he became restless and demanded that we 

 should return to the inlet and catch more blue-fish. 

 To this proposition the Commissioner replied that 

 we had already as many as we could us.e, but Mr. 

 Green was not to be denied. "We can give them 

 away," he said, "as we did with those last night 

 that we left with Jesse Smith, who will be glad to 

 get all that we can bring." 



" Well, to tell the truth," said the Commissioner, 

 " we are nearly out of supplies and will have to 

 return for them. For instance there is no more 

 bread." 



" But we have ship biscuit," answered the Super- 

 intendent, who is a sort of fish gourmand, and will 

 fish as long as he can find any use for what he 

 catches, "and your men make very good rolls. 

 Oh, we can do well enough without bread." 



" But we have no fresh meat," persisted the Com- 

 missioner. 



" Meat ! " expostulated Mr. Green, evidently as- 



