23 DEVIL FISHING. 



when he arrived, exhausted by excitement and 

 fatigue, and explained to his anxious friends the 

 mystery of his unintelligible, but fortunately for 



him, not perpetual motion ! 



PISCATOK. 



To guard against misconstruction, I here repeat, 

 that a few leading incidents only of this story are 

 founded in truth, and that the rest is to be con- 

 sidered merely as a fancy-sketch ; but, in making 

 this admission, I wish it at the same time distinctly 

 to be understood that in all the sketches that 

 follow, I shall confine myself strictly to the facts 

 that I shall admit no fanciful embellishments that 

 I shall report nothing which did not actually 

 happen and that the only license that I shall 

 permit myself, will be that of selection. I shall not 

 hesitate, of course, to reject and shut out such 

 unmeaning incidents as could have no other effect 

 than to clog and give tediousness to my narrative. 



It was during the month of August, 1837, that, 

 attended by my children, and by several friends, 

 whose inducements were change of air and the 

 benefit of sea-bathing, I made an excursion to Bay 

 Point, a small summer settlement situated at the 

 northeastern outlet of Port Eoyal Sound. There, 



