RECREATION. 



2 37 



As soon as we shot the bridge, we 

 turned clear around to the left, into 

 some bulrushes, close to the piles, where 

 it was utter darkness. Here we found 

 another boat, with Joe's brother Bill and 

 another man in it. Joe called out : 



" Pull up creek, Bill, for life. They 

 are close after me." 



Bill was ready and waiting for this 

 ruse. They started off, and just as Bill 

 got to the first bend, the cutter came 

 through the bridge. Bill shouted at the 

 top of his voice : 



"Pull, for heaven's sake, here they 

 come," and then turned the rush point. 



The cutter gave Bill, or the rushes, 

 it's hard to say which, a volley, and 

 rowed like mad after him. As soon as 

 the cutter passed around the point, Joe 

 pulled his boat back through the bridge 

 and rowed toward Clayton until he 

 came to a cottage with two lights in a 

 window. Then he lit a lamp, swung it 

 twice, when one of the lights went out. 

 This was a signal to land, as everything 

 was ready. We ran the boat up on the 

 beach. A buggy with a pair of fast 

 horses came out. In another minute 

 that buggy was spinning away at the 

 rate of 15 miles an hour, with those fatal 

 packages that had been my terror for 

 the last three hours. As soon as the 

 buggy was out of sight, Joe pushed off 

 his boat again. What a difference in 

 her ! She now rose like a cork to every 

 movement of the water. The load was 

 out of her and off my heart. 



Joe hoisted a white flag, denoting 

 that he had a muskalonge on board. 

 His Winchester and cartridges must 

 have accompanied the cases in the 

 buggy, as they were not to be seen in 

 the boat now. Rowing leisurely around 

 to his boat-house, he proceeded to dock 

 the " Queen," when two officers stepped 

 out from the shadows and arrested us 

 for smuggling. Joe simply laughed, 

 saying : 



"1 guess you're away off." 



Having got rid of this precious burden, 

 I felt a little bolder and asked what they 

 meant — what joke was it they were put- 

 ting up on us; I was well known and had 

 been fishing; my fish lay there in the boat. 

 They wanted to know how it was that I 

 had been out till 3 a. m. I answered by 

 questioning whether they thought any 

 one with common sense would have 

 faced such a storm in a skiff. My duties 



called me back to New York in the 

 morning, and I had to get across some 

 time during the night, to catch the morn- 

 ing train. 



After examining our boat in the most 

 scrutinizing manner, one of the officers 

 said : 



" How in the name of Satan you fel- 

 lows ever got through the cutters with- 

 out capture beats me. They have been 

 after you all night. Our information, 

 from our detectives on the other side, 

 distinctly states that Indian Joe and a 

 gentleman, unknown, took the cargo. 

 You are free now, as we have nothing 

 to hold you by, but we'll get you yet." 



We housed the boat, took our fish and 

 made for the hotel, which we found 

 filled. The excitement of chasing a 

 smuggler was too much for the inhabit- 

 ants of this sleepy little village. Our 

 muskalonge was weighed, labelled and 

 laid out on a table in the office, while 

 the kindly host dispensed hot toddy to 

 the thirsty crowd. An hour later Bill 

 came home in charge of the cutter. He 

 had given them a great race, playing 

 hide and seek among the channels and 

 rush beds of the creek. To hold him 

 the officers found was absurd, as he had 

 been working at the Rock House up to 

 nine o'clock, and was seen again about 

 midnight going in the direction of his 

 home; besides, there was nothing in his 

 boat when captured to hold him on. A 

 short time after the Hickory cutter's 

 crew came in, having been attracted by 

 the firing, off Bartlett Point and the 

 bridge. 



I took Mike over to the bar and gave 

 him a toddy and something for his 

 Christmas dinner, and then said to him : 



"I don't want Mr. A. to draw a 

 bead on me, he's a dead shot. I once 

 saw him win a" 



Mike's hand was shaking like a leaf. 

 He gulped down his toddy and made a 

 rush for the door. Joe remained a while, 

 but finally shook my hand and left, 

 saying : 



" Pretty stormy coming home, but 

 that's what we expect this time year." 



When at the door he turned and in- 

 quired whether I would like to go out 

 in the morning and catch the mate of 

 the spotted fellow that lay there on the 

 table. I answered : 



" I think not, Joe, it's too rough work 

 fishing this time of year." 



