292 MOOSE-HUNTING, SALMON-FISHING, ETC 



San Fernandez a settlement 30 miles down 

 the coast, in the neighbourhood of the Asphalte 

 Pitch Lake, bordering on the Gulf of Para. 

 The water in that district is shoal a long 

 distance from land, necessitating the vessels 

 anchoring from one to two miles off, and 

 landing their cargoes in lighters, or, if lumber 

 as in our case in rafts warped ashore at 

 night when calm. The above explanation is 

 necessary to account for the appearance of 

 four negroes on board our ship who had been 

 hired at Port-au-Spain to assist the crew in 

 the extra work of discharging. 



The second day down the coast was a very 

 calm one. Our vessel, being anchored a 

 mile and a half off, was surrounded by large 

 shoals of small fish resembling, in appearance, 

 the herring of the Atlantic. Noticing some 

 large fish threshing about, feeding amongst 

 them, I became greatly interested in them, 

 and my sporting proclivities were aroused 

 sufficiently to inquire of the " darkies " what 

 those large fish were. 



" Oh, Massa Cap'n " (every official, with a 

 West Indian darkey, is a " Massa Captain "), 

 " he devil-fish. Ketch one for poor nigger : he 



