24 



RECREATION 



fish, flounders, skates, and so on. The 

 weak fish, that mockery of a trout, is 

 all right upon light tackle, but as his 

 name indicates, he is slightly lacking in 

 the strenuous. The blue fellow is a 

 devil, a lusty, reckless fighter, game to 

 the last kick and ready to grab a care- 

 less finger, even when he is gasping 

 his last on deck. The others are just 

 good enough to have fun with. 



''Reckon I'd best take her now," 

 said the skipper after a while, "tha's 

 an old wreck lies off yonder and we've 

 got to get right over it to get enny- 

 thin'. Ye can drop the mud-hook, an' 

 be smart when I give ye the word." 



He, of course, had certain shore- 

 marks by which to locate that one 

 small known good spot in all that 

 waste of water, and because I knew 

 of the need for swift obedience, 

 the mud-hook was dropped with an 

 earnestness that won unqualified ap- 

 proval, and in a few moments we were 

 snug and ready for business. Not a 

 vestige of wreck was visible but the 

 skipper, after an earnest glance shore- 

 ward, declared we were about right. 

 "Soon prove it anyhow," he grunted as 

 he picked out a couple of hand lines, 

 bearing two small hooks apiece. The 

 bait was chopped clam, and so soon as 

 his gear was ready he tossed it over, 

 waited perhaps two minutes, then drew 

 it in and tried the other side with a 

 like result. Then he went forward, 

 failed again, and finally went aft. "We 

 cant's be so durned fur out. Aha ! here 

 ye be!" he exclaimed — and with the 

 words a couple of blackfish were un- 

 ceremoniously yanked aboard. I mar- 

 veled, for he had calculated within the 

 sloop's length of the desired spot, 

 which meant getting within an area of 

 more than fifty feet square. 



What followed smacked more of fun 

 than sport, yet it was by no means to 

 be despised. There was an uncertainty 

 in regard to what the next catch would 

 be that kept one interested, while most 

 of the fish taken were first-rate for the 

 table. Now it was a brace of blackfish 

 or a good-sized single specimen, next 



a winged sea-robin, then a cunner, a 

 porgie, a skate, an occasional blow- 

 fish, and more than once a villainous- 

 looking spider crab. We merely sat 

 upon the rail, tossing out and pulling 

 up as city lads do from the wharves. 

 Because the skipper wanted every fish 

 he could get, I stuck to the game for 

 about two hours, during which an as- 

 tonishing number of victims were se- 

 cured. Then I began to loaf, enjoying 

 the easy roll and staring far over the 

 wrinkling plain. Far away a snowy 

 tern was wheeling and dipping in swal- 

 low-like flight. Presently a second bird 

 joined the play, and soon others, ap- 

 parently from nowhere, added lovely 

 life to the ceaseless evolutions. The 

 graceful things were most interesting, 

 and as I watched, it became plainly 

 evident that the tireless birds had a 

 method in their seemingly idle play. 

 While whirling in a maze of circles, 

 bird after bird dipped to the surface, 

 only to rise and renew the wheeling. 



"What are they at over there?" I 

 finally asked. The skipper took one 

 look, then hauled in his line and shout- 

 ed : "Blues, by gum ! An' us a-foolin' 

 here. Get up that thar mud-hook — 

 lively now !" In very few minutes we 

 were speeding toward the winged tell- 

 tales, the skipper steering while I got 

 out a couple of long trolling lines, mine 

 equipped with a fish-shaped lure of 

 pearl, while his had one of cedar, to 

 which was fastened a strip of eel-skin. 

 The breeze had freshened a bit, and the 

 old sloop was proving her quality of 

 foot, when we bore down upon the 

 busy terns, which reluctantly made way 

 for us. 



All unseen, a desperate tragedy was 

 in full swing. A horde of blue thugs 

 was harrying a crowding mass of help- 

 less moss bunkers, as was attested by a 

 greasy streak on the surface and float- 

 ing fragments of the fish which had 

 been chopped in two by powerful and 

 merciless jaws. This is the way of the 

 blue. Among the schools of small fry, 

 he is like a dog among sheep; he 

 seems to slay from sheer lust of 



