to. 3}, 1886,] 



FOi^EST AND STREAM. 



515 



The nest morning;, 1 routed all hands out at S o'clock. It was a, 

 ■^ery bright, clear day and everything looked promising, in spite of 

 Old Probabilities, who had the wftrniiie: signals flying from Easiport 

 to Hatteras, ajid the warnings of some fisberruen, who had seen a. 

 sun dog the day before. The yacht Hera, of Boston, hart just arrived 

 from tlie Isles of Shoals, and the grizzly haired skipper \Wth two boys 

 was washing down decks. He did not look iU ns— we were too small, 

 and besides, had arrived;i:>etore him— but tbo hovs did, when the v 

 saw the Soutn Boston Yacht Chib signal go up, a?rl 1 spoke to ouo of 

 tlieni and asked where ihey wej'e from, and bow the >Yeather was out- 

 side. ITe reported tlie sea bnnpy, We swept out of the harbor be 

 fore a strong land breeze, and when the smi came up and killed it 

 tor awhile wo were many miles on our way, and took advantage of 

 the lull to get a breakfast that tasted as good as if served at Delmoni- 

 oo's. We had come into Booth Bay west of Squirrel Island; we wont 

 out east of it, ran down close to Rain Island Lighthouse, past the 

 noi-thern end of Fisherman's Island, and the savage reef, called the 

 Hypocrite, and headed away east for the Tbriunlicap, ;md np with 

 it, E, N. E. for Pemaquid Point, just off which wo cnjoj^ed our ma- 

 tutinal repast, There was a little sloop running d]) Mnseongus Bay, 

 and a beautiful fishing schooner sehooniug along the coast afrer the 

 early mackerel. The lighthouse and dwelling upon Pemaquid had 

 a rather dreary look, but there was a little curl of amoke from the 

 kitchen chimney, which told us the light keeper would soon have hi.s 

 ham and eggs ready. I wish to emphasize the importance of an 

 early start when one desires to niake a good run. The crisp air, blue 

 sea and golden arrows of the earlv sun are very enjoyable and 

 sharpen the appetite for breakfast. The wind is generally good off 

 shore long enough to send one away fro)u the land, where it contin- 

 ues longer; then the sea bre^■^:e is caught earlier, and one can be 

 content should he have a little light wind or a calm in the middle of 

 the aftei-noou. After we got well out we saw a calm had fallen be- 

 yond Sqtiirrel Island, and vessels that had started later than otu-s, 

 were motionless and mirrored upon a sea of glassy sni oothness. 



We saw some very large pieces of buoys and timber fastened to 

 trawls this morning, a nd were a little afraid at first they were inten- 

 ded to mark rocks, biU. c1osh> observation with the glasses showed 

 their nature. The rotmd douts usual to trawls are easily recogruzed, 

 but it is important lo know that the economical people of Maine use 

 other kinds. In fact, they don't care for appearances if they can 

 poly catch the llsh. T have gone out of my way often to avoid sail- 

 ing over trawls, but I don't ilo it any more." One can pass right over 

 the upper rope of the net, which is generally several feet under 

 water, without any tangle or injury. 



Soon after l^reakfast we made out the beacon on Eastern Egg 

 Rock, hearing K.VjN.. the wind freshened from the N. W., and we 

 soon passed between it and the buoy and headed E. by N. for several 

 islands in line, a northern one wooded, where we saw a schooner 

 coming through Davis' Straits. I remembered these .straits from hoy- 

 hood, but they used to be between Baffin Bay and the Atlantic 

 ocean. Now we were to pass through them. Off Seal Ledges we 

 saw a few seals and luany gulls, and the boys got their gtms out and 

 blazed away awhile without deadly effect as far as we could tell, but 

 it pleased them to have a little diversion and did no harm. I think 

 we old fellows are too apt to^forget that we were boys once, and try to 

 lop off the innocent plea.snres of youth because they do not seem 

 wise or profitable to us. It is a mistake. Experience must be gained 

 by each generaticm, and, though noise disturbs us, it causes a spasm 

 of delight in a boy, especially if he owns the gun that makes it. My 

 two boys and I make three. We have in our possession a fine Bal- 

 lard, 88 cab, a Bullard, 40 cal., hunting, and a Remington- Whitney, 

 ajJcdl., rifle. The baby, 1.5 years, often beats his pater in target 

 shooting. We have some other arms I will not mention. It is a good 

 thing to let boys have arms and learn to use them early, then they 

 are not so Ukely to have accidents in later years. Guns are better 

 than dominoes, cards, ten pins and billiards, and tend to improve the 

 health and develop a better manhood . 



But, gracious 1 here we are up with Davis Island, and a pile of shelv- 

 ing rocks upon the port hand, and a red buoy right in the middle of 

 the channel. Which side ought we to go? The chart does not say. 

 It sajs. "Red buoy to be left in entering on starboard hand." But 

 this IS not entering or leaving, it is siinply passing through. The 

 Portland yachtman said, "Red buoys to port going east and starboard 

 going west." Is this rehable? Sailors say not. We are approachmg 

 the rocks; they run off much from the northern point. "Keep a 

 sharp lookout, Bert." "Rocks right ahead , brown boulders, far out, " 

 shouted Bert. Helm to port and hug the bold shore of the island. 

 Passage must be to the right of the buoy, and we will chance it. 

 Sailors say, "In doubt, run very clo.se to the buoy." We pass, and 

 could touch it upon port side with a hand spike. But, rocks ahead 

 off the point of the island ! Haul up N.E. and the danger is past- A 

 close shave for a sailor, a closer for a stranger. Then away N.E. by 

 E, for the southern end of Hooper's Island, between the Sisters and 

 Old Horse Ledges. There upon the starboard bow is Hart's Island, 

 and a long, treacherous, jagged ledge, reaching almost to Hooper's. 

 The sun is shining, the breeze is soft and strong, the water reflects 

 the heavenly blue and gray, and the merry ripples along the cutter's 

 side luh us into a pleasant, restful reverie; but. hark to that ominous 

 swash, see that curhng line of silvery foam that advances almost 

 across our coinrse. ever and anon, revealing the threatening teeth of 

 the reef; note the pretty lighthouse upon Marshall's Point beyond, 

 and how it seems to invite one to run across to it and take shelter in 

 Herring Gut, and observe how near the huov and island are. Do not 

 deviate from the course; keep that far, outlying buoy to starboard 

 and run near the island, for outside the buoy the ledge is very near 

 the surface of the water. 



After passmg the buoy we kept along shore past the hght and 

 went swiftly onward toward Mosquito Sound, by Mosquito Head and 

 out to sea again, where we were almost becalmed for awhile by our 

 proxuoiity to the high land. But we worked into a wind after a 

 while, and headed for the bold, rocky promontory of Whitehead 

 Island, at the entrance of Penobscot Bay. The vessels and buildings 

 of Tennant's Harbor were visible to the north, and several small 

 ci-aft were seeking shelter up Wheeler's Bay. Close at hand and all 

 the way to the distant horizon there were vessels standing away 

 from and others heading for the narrow passage of the most beauti- 

 ful bay in the United States. We soon heard to starboard the doleful 

 t/olling of the bell buoy upon South Breaker, and to port the swash 

 of the sea as it beat against the worn and flssirred face of White- 

 head, with its keeper's dwelhng, Ughthouse and the great fog bell in 

 its frame. 



"I toll the knell," rung the restless bell, 



•'Of many a good ship here. " 

 "I form the shroud," beat the breakers loud, 



"And my waves cover over the bier." 

 The wind, the sea, the currents, the darkness and the fog conspire 

 upon this coast to break up the beautiful vessels for which its ship- 

 wrights are famous: and it is probable that the work of des1,ruction 

 is equal to that of construction. The very entrance has a threaten- 

 ing look, and the dash of the breakers and the measured singing fill 

 one with a sense of peril which is not soon forgotten. It had been 

 the goal of my ambition to get into Penobscot BayJ and a great 

 weight of anxiety on account of my precious crew, the light of three 

 households, v\'as lifted from my heart as we flew past the grizzly 

 head and into the intricate " navigation of Mtiscle "Ridge 

 Channel, which I knew was as full of rocks as it was des- 

 titute of havens. I felt like one who hal run the gauntlet, 

 or just escaped from the pursuit of a ravenous beast, and it was not 

 until we had run up the excellently marked channel, passed Ash 

 Island and were fau-ly landlocked In Owl's Head Bay, that I felt all 

 danger was past and I might take things easy. Perhaps I was ner- 

 vous from close confinement and professional overwork, and a little 

 too umch worried over the manifold daneers of seafaring life to which 

 I had been enducated in the navy, and from which I had been divorced 

 tor twenty years; but, as we hoisted our ensign and signal and saluted 



ner, trimmed flat down, and had a fine run and a race with a little 

 schooner up to oiu- anchorage off the city of Rockland. We cast 

 anchor south of the steamboat wharf and pretty well in, and sent 

 ..lack and Jamie ashore for newspapers and supplies, while Will 

 started the oil stove and Bert and I furled the sails. When: busy with 

 the mamsail, we noticed to our consternation that we had drifted 

 down almost afoul of a revenue cutter, and, upon trying the cable, 

 we found it was hanging up and down , We had not given enough 

 scope and had dragged mto deep water. We had just enough time 

 to make sail hurriedly, and ran back and anchored again and payed 

 out ten fathoms. Then we held, and, finally, had all snug just as the 

 boys came in the d.arkness and hailed, "Pilgrim ahoy 1" Tbey brought 

 us fresh milk, fresh bread and one mince pie, which, added to hot 

 coffee, tonmtoes, canned turkey and pickles, made an excellent feast 

 for our tued and hungry party. We had made an excellent run of 

 about ntty miles in fine weather, notwithstanding the warning of the 

 Signal Bn reau and the sun dog of the fishermen and we were snug 

 in harbor and at 10 P. M. all shng in bed. 



The sun dog and signal bureau were a day ahead of time. The 

 wind came out S.E. and it began to rain after breakfast next morn- 

 ing, but we made sad, got out the spinnaker and started for Belfast. 

 The wind was light and it was rather unpleasant wearing rubber 

 clothes and dripping w ith ram water, but we managed to pass Cam- 

 den tmder its mountain, and to get up to Northport. about 2 P. M. and 

 maneuvered oft' the Northport Methodist Camp ground in a way that 

 makes me laugh when I think of it. 



The place consists of several hotels, one large building for the meet- 

 ings of the annual camping time in August, and several hundred cot- 

 tages p£ the .Swiss ehftlet style for fatniUea that come from all oyer 



New England to occupy them during the warm weather. The land 

 is high along the shore and rolls back in beatitiful woouled hills, ris- 

 uig high and higher, until at the south they end in veritable moun- 

 tains around Liucoluville and Camden. The summer villa,ge generally 

 has its hotels and cottages full of merry people during August, biit 

 we foun:l, the 30t:l>, that most of the visitors had gone on account 

 of (lie cold sjipll of weather and tbo appi-oach of the great State fair 

 at Bangor the following week. My brothers had two cottages upon 

 the ground, and .as there was to be a family gatheringl fully ejcpected 

 to find a joyous crowd to hail the Pilgrim. So T ran close in, and as 

 wc approached the lower cottages upon the bluff a crowd of gentle- 

 men and ladies upon a cottage portico set up a tremendous shoutmg 

 and hurrahing, and waved handkerch'efs and hats in such a lusty 

 way that T took it for granted immediately that they were my kms- 

 folfc. 



The spinnaker was otit to starboard, and while looking at the 

 crowd ashore tlie boom rose up along side of the mast, the sail bellied 

 into the .jili and the main hoom jibed. The spinnaker w^as taken no 

 the jib hauled down, the anchor let go, and I .started in the tender it, 

 go ashore, but reeognizing that the cottage was not a brother's, and 

 that the people who were uiaking such a hullabaloo were strangers, I 

 came on board before landing, had the anchor weighed and made 

 sail for Belfast, while Bert went out on the foot rope to eat the 

 anchor. .Tust as the jib was hoisted and the yacht began to swing 

 around, Bert missed his footing and plunged overboard to bis waist, 

 but saved himself from a complete ducking by catching the bobstay. 

 The crowd ashore set up a tremendous shouting, as if it had been 

 done for their amtisemeut, while Bert went about his work cheerfully, 

 aud I was mad enou]e:h to blow that identical cottage and its inhabit- 

 ants over the hills with a charge of grape aud cannister. 



A little further up a cottage hailed us and asked. "Is that the Pil- 

 grim?" and when I answered "Yes," she said, "The family are all up 

 at Belfast." Then we went to Belfast, found a good anchorage above 

 the steamboat wharf, and had the family gathering before dark. 



A few days' rest and « e were afloat again before a stiff N.W. breeze, 

 which carried us by Turtle Head and Castine in an hour, and, soon 

 after, we passed around Cape Rosier and ran down Eggemoggin 

 Beach to Byard's Point. This was the furthest east we reached dur- 

 ing the summer, the season was over at Mt. Desert, and I decided to 

 find a camp near at hand. We turned back therefore, had a lively 

 beat against the sea with all sail on, and the lee rail under sufficiently 

 often to satisfy my brother from Atlanta, whom we had taken aboard 

 at Belfast. We anchored off a lovely sand beach between two rooky 

 points at the entrance of Orcutt's Harbor, where we estabUshed 

 Camp Myinno and improved our vitality by bathing, shooting, hunt- 

 ing, and doing anything our fancy dictated. Here we will leave the 

 little Pilgrim off the camp with her flags floatiug in the summer 

 breeze, having made a track across the chart all the way from Boston 

 over which few yachts so -small wiU dare to follow her, and carried 

 into many places, where it had never been seen before, the pretty 

 signal of the South Boston Y. C. ■ 



CRUISE OF THE COOT. 



IX. 



THANKSGIVING DAY brought with it an overcast sky and a 

 strong wind from the northward, which furrowed the stream in 

 dark looking ridges and brought the Coot's sail down to the second 

 cringle, reducing the area by one-half. Several congenial spirits had 

 gathered in Miirmalade Lodge to camp over the holiday. From 

 them parting well wishes were received with the latest newspaper. 

 The weather was raw and cold, so the cruise began with uncongenial 

 reminders of the rapid approach of winter. With sheet well off the 

 Coot bounced along. She Knocked down to the puff even under re- 

 duced sail in a way which suggested the need of more ballast. Of 

 this she had about 4001bs. in iron pig, 200lbs. in two gravel boxes in 

 the cockpit and perhaps ISOlbs in stores and supplies, a total of 750, 

 whereas 1.000 would have been none too much. The gravel boxes, 

 which I had at first intended to remove, were subsequently found so 

 handy for trimming ship to an even draft and for listing to one side 

 that they have been retained, cleat*! on the floor holding them from 

 shifting, after once getting mto trouble through their absence; one 

 of the many things chargeable to the neglect of the builder in the 

 first place. Across Newark Bay the wind howled and the sea 

 boiledln seething foam, scattering many a bucket! ul along the decks, 

 but none into the cockpit. The weather shore along the docks of 

 Elizabethport made matters more comfortable aud beyond that the 

 trend of the Kills brought sea and wind right over the stern. Past 

 the low reed girt marshes the yacht bowled away till a turn in the 

 river called for a jibe and another, after which the sailing was simple 

 enough through to Perth Amboy. Most of the distance was made in 

 company with two oyster smacks whose tactics the Coot sought to 

 follow, for I had no chai-ts this side of the Delaware and was not well 

 acquainted with the channel. The marshes are quite bold and with the 

 exception of one shoal or grass-covered isle and some flats at several 

 projecting points, indicated by outlying haystacks rising from tbe 

 water, you may poke your bowsprit right over the waving reed tops 

 before putting helm doM'n for a turn. A good plan is to hold close 

 to the banks on which you find bulkheads serving as wbarves, for 

 deep water can be depended upon close up. When I found the fac- 

 tories and settlements crossing to the opposite side, I followed suit, 

 knowing that commerce would select the navigable channel. 



The Kills are. lined with establishments of many kinds, chemical and 

 feitihzer works being the most numerous. The approach to Perth 

 Amboy is heralded by a ridge of bluffs on Staten Island. The Kills 

 widen out three miles above Amboy, and on both sides of the river 

 can be seen the scattering colonies which betoken a city near by 

 The rumbling of trains was borne on the winds, while streamers of 

 blue smoke interpreted to the eye their snake-like threadings on shore. 

 In the distance the mouth of the Kills opened into broad Raritan 

 Bay, disclosing a great fleet of sail and many pufllng Utile tugs. 

 Abreast on the Jersey side high, gawky tressels poked their heads far 

 out into the river, forming a long line of slips, with piers supporting 

 coal pockets. Into these, hke the pelting of distant haU, black dia- 

 monds were being tumbled from laden cars above, and from the 

 pockets shoots led into the holds of huge coasting schooners receiving 

 their cargoes destined for Eastern ports and manufacturing hives 

 inland. Dusty and begrimed the neighborhood appeared, but signs 

 of busy life and prosperity could be read all round. Vessels towed 

 here and there, the clank of chains and creak of blocks as others got 

 under way, a ferryboat churning its accustomed route with rhythmic 

 slap of the paddles, yawl boats with crews lustily pulling at the oars, 

 shouts and hails, everything on the move and everything engaged in 

 doing somethine, all this gave to the sui'rouudiugs an air of life and 

 activity which I bad never suspected. 



The wind had fallen light, ugly clouds had parted and the sun shone 

 foi-th bright and warm, as the Coot was introduced to the enlivening 

 scenes around. So pleasant a contrast to the dreary mom, that we 

 took several turns about the harbor before coming to. She was 

 twisted through a score of oysterraen at anchor, and round the point 

 of bluffs, upon whose sunny side fine cottages and residences, em- 

 bowered in bunches of evergreen trees, lend grace and beauty to the 

 picture. Then she was tacked across the harbor out to the govern- 

 ment tower marking the seaward end of a long shoal, a striking bea- 

 con by day, and by night a tireless sentinel whose bright red rays 

 carry warning to the marmer picking his way into the welcome shelter 

 of the port. Having made the circuit, the yacht brought up ma bight 

 beyond the docks of South Amboy, and there lay for the night in per- 

 fectly smooth water. Oft. deep and out of the channel. "You woiild 

 have to get out there pretty quick if it blew in from the Sf^a," volun- 

 teered a chance acquamtance as he sculled by in a boat. So I would 

 but as there was no appearance of any wind that night, certainly not 

 from the eastward, the atmosphere being dry and frosty, tbis gave 

 me no concern. The coal docks of the Lehigh Valley R. K made 

 shelter from the northward and westward, the quarter to look to for 

 a blow just then. The sun set in a maze of glorious tints, in which 

 gold and crimson predominated, the waters calmed down to a mirror, 

 from which the brilliant hues above were faithfully reflected The 

 shores darkened into deep green, then slowly faded away into gray 

 while the skipper of the Coot stood in tbe cockpit and rested one arm 

 on the cabin bouse, the other being free to handle the smoking bowl, 

 which brought soothuig thoughts and congratulations upon the happy- 

 inauguration of the voyage. 



Say what they may, inveigh against the slow poison of nicotine 

 and hold forth upon the degradation of man in his slavish submission 

 to the seductions of the plant, the austere high priests of total ab- 

 stinence cannot deny ine beneficent calm it brmgs, the spirit of phi- 

 losophy begotten, the musings gentle and serene, the good intent 

 the tolerant Uberality of mind and prudent resolutions for the 

 future, whieh'rise to the surface and pass in orderly review, as the 

 devotee to the inspirmg leaf, in collected .self-possession, wafts 

 pretty blue spirals upon tbe airs and watches their career as they 

 soar with measured grace mto the hberty of space above. Many a 

 storrny day. many a rainy night, I have passed in contentment and 

 satisfaction in the Coot's cabin. Oft has blue loneliness been driven 

 over tbe Coot's side, and gloom and fret hunted down, that hope and 

 expectation might hold sway through the dainty, luscious flavor, the 

 enticing aromaandvu-ginpm-ity of "Seal of North Carolina," plug 

 cittl Abstain and you will not die of poison at eighty, but you will 

 .slipyour cable at fifty from sheer worry of hfe which has no such 

 blessing as ■ heal," plug cut. Over my pipe have I read and written 

 Over my pipe have I tickled the Coot through tight places. Over my 

 pipe have I borne wch harassing calms and numerous disappoint- 

 ments. Over my pipe have I enjoyed a spanking breeze and smart 

 ran. Over my pipe have I chummed in with the natives. Over my 

 pipe have I studied the chai'ts and planned the work tor the oex-i 



day. To "Seal," plug cut, my pacifier, companion and counseler, 

 let me slug the praises justly due. Without "Seal" the pleasures of 

 the cruise would have been curtailed not a little. Dull it must have 

 dragged, unsociable. Lacking in snugness, a ta.sk all but impossible 

 that I should mtdertake. 



It is a wonder that I'ertli .Ainboy sbouid be so little known and 

 visited b,y small yachts liai'ine- about Mew Yoi-k, I t is seldom one 

 can be seen steering througli tiio KiJls. vfc tbe Staten Island Sound 

 between Elizabethport and Raritan Bay is tine ovuisin,!? water with 

 width and depth sufficient to work against a head wind .and winding 

 enough to give occasional relipf. If not iuiposinK, tbe scenery is at 

 least attractive and a change upon that so familiar in Lone Island 

 Sound. Once the marshes are left astern, tbe Highlands ahead are 

 pictt'i'csquo and pleasmg, while the harbor of Perth Amboy, its traffic 

 and tributary railroad bustle, make up an anchorage equal to any- 

 thing on the Sound in appearance and interest. The Raritan River 

 empties into the bay and itself affords many tuiles of broad reaches 

 above the draw bridge at the city, before it narrows into a tortuous 

 waterway. Amboy is also open to approach trom the seaward side 

 of Statin Island, offering a choice of routes according to lide aud 

 weather. As to depth of water there seemed to be plenty of it in the 

 harbor, though of that a chart would give more reliable information. 

 A local yacht club flotuishes in the place, but when the Coot turned 

 up late in November, that club had, of course, gone into winter 

 quarters. 



While 1 slumbered Jack Frost got to wo)-lc and gave me a foretaste 

 of what was coming. The thermometer fell below freezing point. 

 Next morning the windows of the <iabin were traced with all manner 

 of fantastic cobwed patterns, tbe decks were clad in white and water 

 had solidified into ice iu the skiff astern, much to ray consternation. 

 Anxiou.s as t was to proceed and escape from winter's threatened 

 embrace, there was not wind enough to warrant lifting the anchor. 

 Unrtiifled lay the expanse of the bay as it had been left the night 

 before. A catspaw now and then raised delusive hopes, though a 

 good breeze and a lifted sheet would he needed to stem the ebb in the 

 B.aritan to the first lock of the canal at New Brunswick, a distance of 

 twelve miles up. The favoring flood had run the length of its tether 

 at noon, and with it expired all chance for the day. Letters were 

 written and dispatched, some provisions laid in froni a small store at 

 the foot of the outer coal dock, and an attempt made to purchase a 

 New York morning paper. The stock was exhausted, so the bespec- 

 tacled young man who presides over tbe city news store in South 

 Amboy imparted, an extraordinary demand haSoug sprung up, owing 

 to the sudden demise of Vice-President Hendricks. 



For several weeks previous I had daily cimsulted the special 

 weather forecasts in the "personal intelligence" of the Herald. These 

 had been so uniformly accurate iu every particular that I was loath 

 to miss tbe information at a critiual moiuent. Had freezing weather 

 been announced, it was my mteniaon to hitch astern of one of the 

 regular tows of canal boats which daily ascend the Raritan to the 

 persuasion of the fine Keystone line of iron tugs especially built for 

 the service. These tows are made up around Whitehall in New York 

 aud proceed through the Kills and up the sinuous Raritan at a rate 

 which, if glow, is independent of wind. Being left in the dark sb to 

 the weather, there was nothing to do but trust to better luck next 

 *lay. Old Sol came out in all his glory and warmed the world up 

 with his cheery smiles. So I betook myself to one of the piers in the 

 Orange Blossom, and filled up the breaker afresh from a waterboat. 

 whose obliging owner refused any pay. and volunteered a lot of local 

 gossip in a chat over a pipe we disposed of in company. Other yaclits 

 had preceded the Coot, bound to the same destination. One was a 

 small schooner, probably the new light draft Whim recently launched 

 fi'om Poillon 's for Florida cruising. Another "was a large catboat 

 with a couple of pas.sengers, and a third was a peculiar sloop with 

 two on board. The latter had but a few days the start, and. as will 

 appear later on, was overhauled by the Coot in the Chesapeake, 

 where a sudden acquaintance was "equally suddenly brought to a 

 close. The man of much water likewise assm-ed me that the propel- 

 lers running to Philadelphia kept the canal open all winter. As the 

 canal was billed to close Dec. 20, this goes to show that local lumin- 

 aries are not infallible on home topics. His boy, whose youthful ex- 

 uberance persisted in missing the bung hole of mv breaker with the 

 hose by about two feet, thereby squirting much of the old man's 

 wealth into the sea, was so taken with the Orange Blossom that he 

 went into juvenile ecstacy as I carefully landed the breaker in the 

 bottom and took my seat at the oars. For the rest of the day the 

 schooners working in against the hght winds supplied material for 

 observation, till red beams from the lighthouse sent me below to 

 wrestle with gastronomic puzzles over the oil stove. 



The mercury fell to SM" and sail and gear were frozen stiff, an- 

 swering with ill grace to niy tugs and swigs early on the following 

 mom. A light westerly breeze was springing up, and, the tide serv- 

 ing, tbe Coot was under sad as the sun peeped above the land and 

 bathed the treetops in ro.sy splendor. Fingers were nipped in the 

 frosty air, but I was light m heart at the thought of making New 

 Brunswick before ice should squeeze me tight in its grip. 



The docks were soon rounded aud a couple of boards saw the Coot 

 up to the middle span of the railroad bridge across the Raritan. The 

 bridge-tender had guessed my destination, for he svmng the draw 

 vN'ide open as we approached without waiting for the customarv toot 

 from the horn. 



"Where are you bound?" he queried, as he leaned conveniently 

 against some of the iron lattice work. 



"To Florida, if I can get there; anywhere out of the cold. " 



"Several yUchts have gone the same way. You are pretty late in 

 the season." 



The wind had picked up to nice working strength, but it was dead 

 ahead and the Coot had to be worked across the river the whole 

 way, except where favorable turns enabled a straight course. 

 Standing over to the southern shore, a man tonging for oysters was 

 hailed as to the depth of water to be expected. He answered that 

 after roimding the first point in sight, which should be given a good 

 berth, the shores were bold all the way up. "What do you draw- 

 not overtwo feet, I suppose?" "Two feet six," I rephed.' "You will 

 have no trouble. " 



With this for general advice, I settled down at the stick for the 

 twelve-mile beat, the flood horsing me up to windward in flue style, 

 noted by the_ speed with which we weathered on various marks 

 ashore. A lofty sail ahead, which could be seen across the marsheB, 

 pointed out the turns in the river aud showed it to be very crooked. 

 First the sail would be going the same way as the Coot, tnen at right 

 angles, and occasionally seemed to be heading right back. A stem 

 chase is a long one, but I could hold a much closer wind than the sloop, 

 and in two hom-s had taken the lead, dispensing with the sloop's 

 service as pilot. Numerous manufactories, especially pottery works, 

 were passed, and several schooners coming down with the wind w hich 

 was fair for them. The lower reaches were broad and well adapted 

 for small boats, a rough sea being impossible owing to tbe twists. 

 For canoeing no flmer run could be imagined. The mar.shes gradually- 

 rose into dry land with banks two or three feet high, studded witb 

 great barn-like structures wuere the manufacture of bricks is carried 

 on upon a great scale, some of the establishments looking like towns 

 at a distance. The water front was lined with well presei-ved bulk- 

 heads, along which could be seen many of the typical brick sloops, 

 so familiar to New Yorkers, with their high poops, gaudy colors, and 

 general Dutch features, betokening their derivation from the old 

 galliot introduced by the settlers from Holland who located their 

 New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, the foimdation of the modern 

 Babel known as New York. 



About seven mUes up, the river forked into two branches. I chose 

 the widest as the most hkely, nobody being within had to question. 

 After following its bends for two miles, it became verv contracted 

 and lost all appearances of leading anywhere in particular. Convinced 

 that 1 had struck tbe wrong lead, the Coot was sailed up to a brick 

 yard ahead where an old salt in oilskins aboard a sloop, after eyeing 

 me for a while, as a qtieer sort of customer, kindly pointed out a 

 canal as a short cut back into the Raritan whence I had come, add- 

 ing that I was in South River which would take me up to Washing- 

 ton. After passing through the canal we came out again a mile be- 

 low the fork and the circuit of three miles had been made for noth- 

 ing. The old ground was again gone over when four miles remained 

 to New Brunswick. Rolling hillocks in the foreground spoke of the 

 highlands we were approaching. Fine farms dotted both shores and 

 clumps of trees relieved the monotony of tilled fields. Two miles 

 below the first lock, the shores became bold, great rocky walls rising 

 suddenly from the river, the first appearance of the red sandstone 

 formation which underlies a large portion of New Jersey and con« 

 tributes the red mud to the streets of Jersey towns, seen from the 

 car windows of the railroad from New York to Philadelphia. Park- 

 like forests of pines aud evergreens topped the rocky promontories 

 their bows hanging over the bluffs hke a green canopy. ' 



The flood had about run its course and the -n-ind fefl very li<'ht. 

 With the last breath the Coot was turned up successfully to the slhuy 

 bulkhead forming a leader into the first lock, and the city of New 

 New Brunswick appeared ie full view ahead. Located on a series of 

 rising hills, climbing up into a ridge, with church spires glistening in 

 the evening sun, the river coiu-sing merrfly through a gorge, spanned 

 by the county and railroad bridges, the first sight of the bnsv town 

 was picturescLue and pleasing. As the Coot passed her lines to some 

 old tree stumps ashore and got out fenders to protect her side from 

 chafe, Helios bid the voyager good evening as he sank, blood red, 

 below the darkening crests in' the west. In the shades of twilight 

 supper was dispatched, the cabin locked up, and a tour i)f inspf-cUon 

 m the town undertaken. A two-gallon oU can was purciiased and 

 fiUed with headlight fluid to add to the supply on board, as the cold 

 days and nights caused oil to be consumed in the stove at a rapid 

 rate, each day requii-ing half a gallon for all purposes. Q. P. K, 



