WE GO A-FISHING. 113 



back-bone of the island, is quite an imposing 

 line when seen from the ocean, and even as 

 viewed from the Great South Bay upon a misty 

 morning it gives, as I have already said, quite 

 an air of mountainous wilderness to the back- 

 ground. In former days, when the Great South 

 Bay and Shinnecock Bay were deep enough to 

 afford navigation for good-sized schooners, it 

 is probable that all this region stretching 

 between Islip on the west and East Hampton 

 on the east, was the scene of much more ani- 

 mation the year round than at present. We 

 who resort here for quiet are rather glad of the 

 change. Old ocean has helped us. It has 

 played such tricks with this coast that it seems 

 to be only a matter of time when these bays 

 will become wholly land-locked. Fifty years 

 ago there was a large outlet to the ocean in the 

 Great South Bay nearly opposite Patchogue, 

 whereas now the boats have to go twenty miles 

 farther down the bay to Fire Island inlet before 

 they can go out into the ocean. Year after 

 year, this Patchogue inlet grew narrower as 

 each great storm washed up thousands of tons 

 of sand. At last a great storm closed up the 

 inlet, and it was only when the people went to 



