578 

‘ON THE SPIT 
and we hurried across the broad marsh in 
anticipation of the luncheon awaiting us. 
As we neared the little, white lighthouse, 
Jim, its good-natured keeper and our mentor, 
strode: toward! .tsy",.Did «veo cet. vent he 
bellowed. 
“Yes, we got a few, Jim,” was our answer, 
as we began to unload our well-filled pockets. 
“Twenty-five, twenty-eight, thirty-two, and 
‘mostly beetles; wait, here’s another, thirty- 
three. How’s that, Jim?” 
“Ye done good, boys, oh, ye done grand! 
Did n’t I tell ye if ye lay 
on sthat* ‘spit <ye *d..iget 
fem?» Me and Keeler 
never lay there without 
we got birds. It’s as 
sure as if ye had ’em, 
and surer. Ye got all 
there was in it, that’s 
for sure, without a doubt. 
Come in, boys, and have 
a bite to eat. Carrie,.the 
boys are hungry,’ he 
called through the open 
door to his wife. 
“Tunch is ready, “came 
the pleasant and most 
welcome answer, and we 
rushed in and attacked 
the plain but well cooked 
food with a vengeance. 
Having fimished our _ 
meal, and as the tide | 
had not yet begun to 
serve, we went out to 
smoke and bask in the 
sun. It was always at 
these times that we got 
Jim “talking.” He never 
needed much urging, for 
Prince Edward’s island- 
ers are proverbially lo- 
d 
quacious, and Jim was — JIM 

RECREATION 
no exception to the rule. 
We were usually able to 
propose a topic for his 
conversation, and once 
started, he could talk on 
interminably. But this 
day the topic presented 
itself as a large flock of 
geese, the first of the 
season, came flying in 
high over the mouth of 
the harbor, and after the 
usual circling, alighted 
near the great beds of 
eel-grass, which furnish 
food for the great num- 
ber of brant and geese 
every fall. 
“The geese is come, 
boys,” Jim exclaimed 
enthusiastically; for al- 
though he had shot hun- 
dreds of the wary “honkers,” he would often 
get as excited as a tyro. “I must sink the 
box over on the spit by Holton’s island. Ye 
must get some of them geese "fore ye go, 
that’s for sure. I'd never forgive meself, 
boys, if I didn’t get ye a crack at ’em, an’ 
ye comin’ way from the States only once a 
year. 
“Ye should ’a bin here last spring; I’d ’a 
showed ye what goose shootin’ was! 
“T mind one day I was over to the ‘Black 
banks’; me father was desperate busy and 
I come to help him. We 
was standin’ on the 
shore side o’ the decie 
(decoy) house, when the 
old man looks up and 
says, ‘There come seven 
geese, Jim.’ 
“T looks up an’ see 
seven geese a-comin’ low 
over the sandals (sand- 
hills) and light on the 
ice, side o’ the open 
water front o’ the lob- 
ster facry. Sayseet 
‘How’d ye like a goose?’ 
“The old man_ says, 
‘Not“too bade sec 
grabbed me old _ gun, 
shoved in a couple o’ 
shells o’ double B an’ 
jumped into the paddle 
boat. She was all white, 
jest like an ice cake, an’ 
‘I turned the paddle- 
wheels careful like, you 
know, boys, an’ I jest 
sorter drifted down on 
them geese with the 
floatin’ ice. Here was 
me a-churnin’ them pad- 
dles, easy like, an’ 
watchin’ them yary 
