THE INLAND PASSAGE. 43 



seemed so fond of the place that they would not 

 leave it. After we had gone on board with our 

 trophies, and while we were getting under way, we 

 saw new whisps arriving to take the place of those 

 which we had killed, as if they were informed of the 

 event, and were anxious to profit by the disasters of 

 their friends, even at the peril of their own lives. 



Core )Sound was full of wild fowl, of which many 

 were red-heads and canvas-backs, and had we had 

 a battery, we could have killed unlimited numbers. 

 We had to do as well as we could with Mr. G-reen's 

 substitute, which, althoiigh better than nothing, was 

 not at all equal to the proper machine. ]S"either had 

 we time to wait. Florida was a long way off, and 

 well we knew that, once there, we should have all 

 the game we wanted ; so as we struck another favor- 

 able wind, we did not stop at Harker's Island, where 

 the best shooting is to be had, but ran on to Beau- 

 fort. We had actually dawdled not more than three 

 or four unnecessary days in Core Sound, before going 

 into the narrow, shallow and diflQcult harbor of what 

 was once the watering place as well as business mart 

 of that section of the Southern country. The port 

 dues are heavy, and I would advise the yachtsman 

 to avoid it altogether and go, if he needs must go 

 into any port, directly to Morehead City, which is 

 rapidly appropriating the trade and fashion of its 

 older rival. 



There is a large business in oysters at Beaufort, 

 and the civilization of moss-bunker factories has 

 been introduced from the ISTortli. Fish were scarce. 



