18 Fishing in North Carolina. 



ing from a boat near the bank, his best hound, 

 followed a deer near by, saw the bait on the 

 water, i^lunged in and got it. The gentleman 

 is a man of veracity, and the dogs as well as the 

 men in that section are liable to curious ex- 

 periences. 



The only automatic combination fisherman 

 and bait that I know of is a gourd about the 

 size of a self-made man's head; with a nicely 

 crooked handle. I had three of these and would 

 take them out into the pond, tie a two foot line 

 to the handle, put hook and minnow on the 

 other end. Turn them loose to be wafted by 

 wind or water xintil arrested by some fish. 

 They have caught lots of jack for me and some 

 bass. I do not lose sight of the gourds but go 

 on ^^dth legitimate fishing. Sometimes I look 

 for the blockaders and one is not in sight. Pres- 

 ently the gourd pops up and prances about too 

 much for a minnow. It continues to be viol- 

 ently disturbed. I give chase with the boat. 

 I get up to it and reach for it but down it goes 

 didapper-like and I wait for its re-appearance. 

 After many attempts I catch it and take the 

 gourd's fish. 



