258 SPOET IN NOKTH AMERICA. 



A very favourite place for catching this fish is 

 Bay Point, near Wilmington. There may be seen 

 amateur fishermen, armed with lances and harpoons, 

 embarking in small boats, rowed by three or four 

 niggers, and starting off" at high tide after devil fish. 

 The school always advances and retii'es with the tide, 

 so the great thing is to be with them at the top of 

 the tide. Their movements are as rapid as those of 

 a bird. The most favourable moment for striking 

 is when he has dived to feed on the sea-weed, and is 

 rising to the surface filled and satisfied. When he 

 does not rise quite to the top his presence may be 

 ascertained by a kind of white bubbling of the water, 

 as if it were boiling. When this is seen, the har- 

 pooner will sometimes strike his prey at a dozen feet 

 below the surface. 



Sometimes the devil fish can be very mischiev- 

 ous. I have myself seen a number of them tear up 

 a row of piles which were driven into a sandy bay 

 in order to keep the shore from drifting, and tow 

 them out to sea. Mr. Stiltman, a planter, who was 

 the owner of the piles, determined to have his re- 

 venge, and gave orders to his negroes to launch a 

 fishing boat, in the which he and I and three niggers 

 forthwith embarked. 



"Now, Pluto," cried Stiltman to his best har- 

 pooner, " let it be the biggest ^un of the lot." 



" Yes, raassa," said Pluto in reply ; " hopes to gib 

 satisfaction to massa and his friend." 



