^l)c iTarmer's ittotttl)lij| faisitor. 



99 



liad leaped upon the very crest of the wave, and 

 was carried up some ten (eet, and I had but just 

 lime to right myself when 1 seized her by one 

 foot as she came hack upon the under tow. Fol- 

 lowing up the next wave, when it left us, we 

 made a clear landing upon the beach. Peggy's 

 mother had also jumped out, but as they wei'e 

 more prudent, had only got about half drenched 

 with the water. 



As for my imcle, he had stuck to the wagon, 

 and had got the horse headed in shore, and was 

 soon on a dry footing, although very little of the 

 top of the wagon was out of the water. 



That wife of yoms, Bob, had liked to have 



drowned me.' 



id my Uncle Jacob. " I was 



pulling for the shore, when she seized the near 

 rein and headed f^clirn for Liverpool, or some 

 other foreign port. I am soaked to the throat. 

 If the horse had not been clear of bridle ham- 

 per, I think we had both gone ; but he raised 

 his head out of the water and made for higher 

 ground. You would not have been worse off if 

 you had staid on hoard ; you could only have 

 got wet, and you have all that, and the danger 

 was increased. Maxims are good for nothing in 

 a state of alarm ; hut get in here — salt water 

 will make you healthful ; there is no harm in it, 

 but if people could be calm it is always best to 

 stick by the wreck, on sea and land," said my 

 uncle. " Those who jimip overboard, or from a 

 carriage generally, fare worse than those who 

 stay by." 



" J thought I was drowned," said Peggy. 



"You'd like to have drowned n)e," said my 

 uncle. 



"1 did not pull the rein until there was dan- 

 ger," said she. 



" And why did you pull at all ?" said my imcle. 



" Because I thought we were getting too deep," 

 she replied. 



" And so you went deeper," said my uncle ; 

 "and Boh, too, popped into the water after you, 

 ike a frog from the bank. It was the ninth 

 wave," rejoined Uncle Jacob; "and if you had 

 been quiet, we should have had the eight follow- 

 ing swells to have reached the dry beach in." 



" What is meant," said I, " by the ninth wave ?" 



"Nothing," he replied, "but that every ninth 

 wave is the largest, and swells the highest upon 

 the shore. Wiiy it is so 1 cannot tell ; but if to- 

 morrow you will stand upon the beach, and 

 notice the wave that reaches the farthest up, you 

 will find that it is the ninth wave, and every 

 ninth wave will do the same." 



A little boat with two sails had neared in shore, 

 and was bound as we were to the landing above 

 the Boar's Head. A single man was in the stern 

 sheets, and it was now head and head — the horse 

 and the boat. She glided over the waves, crash- 

 ing out the white foam under her brow. My 

 Uncle Jacob said that we must not be outrun by 

 the boat, and we sped over the beach. " To-mor- 

 row we will take a ride in her, and try the hook 

 and line ; but for to-day we will dry out this salt 

 water, which hurts no one, except like othergood 

 things, we take too much of it." 



' Are the wheels sufficiently vvashei?" said 

 Peggy. * 



' Out upon you," said n)y uncle ; "I will scold 

 yon all next winter, by the evening fire, for at- 

 tempting to drown me." 



Again we arrived and were welcomed at the 

 nn, and the tavern is the place of all others 

 where we feel that the welcome is not in the 

 mile of recei)tion merely — it comes fiom the 

 heart. A cheerful eveniug, no had consequences 

 from the laving in "Neptune's salt wash," filled 

 up the balance of the day, and arrangements 

 were made (or oiu' sail on the morrow. Before 

 we go to rest, however — and we found the beds 

 good enough to make an Emperor drowsy — I 

 will take the occasion to .say a word in behalf 

 of a visit to the " Boar's Head" at Hampton 

 Seach, where it is hut justice to say that it may 

 well serve to fill up the poetry in the mind of 

 the classic, who has read of the Boar's Head in 

 Eastcheap ; for it compasses East, and is suited 

 to the times iu bein* cheap also. 



The monstrous breathings and breaking of the 

 waves upon the shore was the last sound I heard 

 on going to sleep, and the first that arrested my 

 attention on the following morning. The wea- 

 ther was mild and calm, and until some time 

 after the sun rose a thick fog enveloped every 

 hing around us. Mr. Stephen Fales, the owner 



and ski[)per of the boat, announced that the boat 

 was ready, the bait and all on board ; and I here 

 take the occasion to reconunend him to visitors, 

 as heingskilful and accommodating. There was 

 no haste necessary, and we waited after an ex- 

 cellent breakfast mitil a light south-west wind 

 sprung up, which with the sun soon dispelled 

 and chased away the mists of the morning. We 

 then repaired to the shore, "eyed the dark main, 

 and heard the billows roar." On getting aboard 

 Mr. Fales observed that we had better ply in 

 shore for two or three hours, as it was ebb tide, 

 and that the time for taking tish would be on the 

 turn of the tide, or what he called the " young 

 flood." We all united in this proposition. Mar- 

 garet andiher mother, with my Uncle Jacob and 

 Farmer Thrifty, stowed themselves in the stern 

 sheets of the boat. The painter was loosed from 

 the fast at the wharf, and the boat swung off, so 

 that the fore-sail, which had already been twist- 

 ed, shouldered the breeze, and we began grace- 

 fully to lift and pull over the smooth swell of the 

 waves. Doubtless one of the most beautitiil ob- 

 jects is a vessel when she has tripped her anchor, 

 and is yoking the winds in her eager swelling 

 canvass, and is beginning to get head way on 

 her. It is also most exciting and delightful to 

 tlie family of the farmer, who perhaps enjoys for 

 the first time the rise and fall and easy rock of 

 old Neptune's cradle. The great Author of our 

 being has every w here scattered his bounties and 

 his rational enjoyments, where the care and in- 

 dustry so generally necessary may be usefully 

 relaxed, giving a new relish to our homes and 

 our pm-siiits. On the sea shore and among the 

 beautiful islands that dot our bays, no enjoyment 

 perhaps surpasses that of a fishing excursion in 

 sunnner. Old and young enjoy it. The air is 

 bracing and excites appetites. Fish and clams 

 are a sort of certainties to be relied on, and after 

 the repast the aged converse in the shade of a 

 tree, while the boys and girls swing or walk 

 around the shores of the verdant islands. These 

 .-ue thine. New England ; from the landing of 

 the Pilgrims thy sons and daughters have tasted 

 these enjoyments, and wherever their enterprise 

 may lead them away from these shores, often in 

 their moments of recollection they will return to 

 thy rocky shores, thy everlasting granaries of the 

 deep. 



We were now in this very lap of pleasine. 

 My Uncle Jacob was f\dl of good humor. We 

 lay off and on, running the whole length of the 

 beach, and keeping within about half a mile 

 from it. Mrs. Thrifty said that were it not for 

 the rocking of the boat she should suppose that 

 we were still, and that the shore was moving 

 along. I attended to the sail when we came 

 about, and Mr. Fales managed the helm. 



At length we changed our course and stood 

 off lor the fishing ground. The wind, which 

 had been light, was becoming dead, and at about 

 eleven o'clock in the forenoon we reached the 

 place, when it was nearly calm. 



" It is now low water," said Mr. Fales ; " we 

 may fish and drift; there is no necessity of haul- 

 ing down the sail, for by the time it breeies from 

 the east, which I see by the haze will be the case 

 presently, we shall have as many lish as we want, 

 and perhaps some of us by that lime will want 

 to g9 ashore." 



Farmer Thrifty, my uncle and myself only put 

 out our lines, anil my uncle was highly delighted 

 by remarking before his line reached the bottom, 

 " 1 have a haddock ;" and as the shiny captive 

 was lifted in it appeared that he was right. It 

 was my turn ue.xt, then my father's, and my Un- 

 cle Jacob then said, as he started his fish, "I now 

 have a cod." 



The wind had entirely ceased for some time, 

 and the swell was smooth and gentle ; there was 

 just enough of an east breath to cool the weather 

 side of a finger, while my Uncle Jacob and my- 

 self pidled in fish after fish, and he never failed 

 to tell what he had got as soon as he started 

 him from the bottom. 



" And how do you tell a cod from a haddock ?" 

 I asked, for the water was from eight to ten fath- 

 oms deep. 



"1 know by the pull," said my uncle; "the 

 cod makes a steady pull back, but the haddock 

 jerks with great activity." 



Om- women had become quite indifferent: all 

 life in the morning, they were now so still that 

 they did not even look at the fish as we lided 



them over the side. My wife presently looked 

 up, her face pale, and said, "I believe I eat too 

 heartily this inoruing ; my breakfast is going to 

 disagree with me." 



Her mother said that was her case also; and 

 Farmer Thrifty had ceased to fish. My uncle 

 and Mr. I'ales smiled in each others' faces, and 

 in a short time all three were sick. 



" Let us go ashore," said Margaret. 



" Oh ! 1 wish I was at home," said her mother. 



"How would you like some chowder.^" said 

 my uncle Jtioob, "with n good'slice of fat pork ?" 



" You may eat your chowder yourself," said 

 my wife. 



" As we have fish, enough," said my father, 

 " we may as well go to land." 



"There is not wind, enough," said my uncle, 

 "and the fish bite like good iellowe.'" 



" I never felt worse,"answered Margaret, " and 

 thought that you had more sympathy." 



Whoever has felt what is termed sea-sickness, 

 will not fail to have some feeling for those he 

 may see suffer from it : those who know it not 

 from experience, generally are very stoical upon 

 the subject. Soil was- with my Uncle Jacob: 

 he knew that it would do no harm, and would 

 soon be over, and that when again on land by 

 the time dinner should be ready, the sick would 

 be creditable customers to his chowder. 



A light breeze from the east almost impercei)- 

 tibly took us to the shore, the women landed and 

 were left to recover, while my Uncle Jacob ami 

 Mr. Fales went to work. A chowder isa dish, and 

 not a fish, as some have imagined out of New 

 England. It may be made with olams, and 

 I;hen it is a clam chowder; but the better sort is 

 where fish is used and clams also, and this is the 

 one I now have in hand. 



Between two parts of a rode the pot was fTxed 

 — the fire made, and some slices- of excellent 

 clear sailed pork first pat in.. When the fat was 

 well melted out, my Uncle Jacob, who was prime 

 cook, took out the dried slices upon a sharpened 

 stick and put into the fat some sliced onions ; 

 in a few minutes the slices or pinks of two fine 

 haddock which Mr. Fales had prepared were 

 put in with a bottle of as good old cider as ever 

 a Harrison man smacked his lips to. Then some 

 black pepper; next about halt^ a peck of crack- 

 ers, well soaked, and one pound of Peggy's best 

 butter, brought for the occasion ; an4' lastly, 

 when the butter was fairly melted, about two. 

 quarts of clams opened raw by Mr.. Fales, who 

 took off their night caps as he progressed. 



Margaret and her mother were sitting up, and 

 despite of the tendj)erance influence, had request- 

 ed to sip a little of the old cider, which was 

 Farmer Thrifiy's best, and he had. pulled a cork 

 for their accommodation. 



The feast or rather the ohowder began to 

 smell well ; and by the time it was ready, and 

 dished into three large tin pans, all hands, sick 

 and well, were ready also. Aind what was I do- 

 ing all this time .^ Why, I \i'as making spoons 

 to eat it with, which were the real Pilgrim spoons, 

 made by inserting one edge of a olam shell in 

 a split stick, which servedifor a handle. All the 

 conjpany agreed that they had" never tasted a 

 better chowder. My Uncle Jacob was delighted, 

 for he prided himself upon his skill, and Marga- 

 ret and her njother outdid any well people 1 ever 

 saw. 



No company coidd be happier than we were ; 

 drenching and sea sickness were forgotten, or 

 only contrasted with our present condition. 



This was our finale ; the last, object of our ex- 

 cursion was now accomplished ; and Farmer 

 Thrifty, who said that he wislied to put in a 

 piece of potatoes while the weather was fine, 

 proposed that we should return home that eve- 

 ning. 



" Our horses are refVeshed," said he, "and we 

 may diminish the pleasure of our trip if we re- 

 main longer." 



To this my Uncle Jacob assented, and with 

 spirits refreshed, we soon were under way over 

 the road which took us from Hampton Beach. 

 * ROBERT. 



My i, I84a 



A sood example in society, is like money at 

 compound interest; with this exception : the in 

 terest is paid by neither party, but received by 

 both. 



