164 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 14, 1889. 



painter or, in fact, any convenient eye or cleat to make one fast 

 to at her extreme bows, began to sheer in a mannor which hid 

 fair to turn her over, unless something was done. Not withstand- 

 ing the protests of the canoeist, the crew finally was allowed to 

 put a handy brass screw-eye in her nose, from which quarter 

 lines were run to the stern of the Useful, and no further trouble 

 was found in towing. 



At Sewareu several email boats were met, whose occupants were 

 taking some nice weakfish of about lV$lbs., on the low water slack. 

 At Tottcnvillc some peculiar craft were noticed at Brown's ship - 

 yard, one of which, the Presto, designed and owned by Com, Ralph 

 Monroe, of the Biseaync Hay V. C, we were told, deserves n pass- 

 ing notice. Of about lOft.'l.w.l. length, and Bay 10ft. beam and 

 not less than 30in. least freeboard, quite a long and rather heavy 

 overhang, balance rudder, with no sternpost or dead wood, yawl 

 rig or a modification of it, wherein the mizen or dandy, or what- 

 ever it should be called, except what the builders call it, namely, 

 the mainsail, is provided with a gaff and boom, she appeared 

 quite the ideal cruiser for shoal water, being ft at on the floor, with 

 well rounded bilges and very sharp forward, With hardly any per- 

 ceptible hollow lines. Her run was easy, though somewhat heavy, 

 and her sheer was very pleasing to the eye: but Withal she had 

 the app?aranee of being an improved sharpie. At a later period 

 this boat was seeu outside, the Hook in a heat against a strong 

 wind and tide, when her performance left nothing to bo desired: 

 in fact, the writer, who was at the time on a big tug, would have 

 felt much safer on her, and if it is ever his fortune to become 

 acquainted with Com. Monroe he would like to have a sail in her 

 under just such conditions. Bv the daily papers we are informed 

 that the Commodore has made the voyage to Florida in her this 

 winter, tin the stocks was noticed a fac simile of i he Presto, 

 christened by her designer, the Commodore, the I'restolet, we u ere 

 told. She was some 34 or 35ft. long on dock, with quite a large 

 cabin, and intended for periauger rig. She was for sale. These 

 craft would have delighted the eye of your former correspondent, 

 "Loyalty," judging from his ideal as depicted in your paper, if, 

 indeed, the worthy Commodore and he are not one and the same 

 old salts. 



As the tide would soon turn flood, and southerly winds at this 

 time of the year go down with the sun.it behooved us to get 

 underway again without delay, if we would make Kevport before 

 night, having to stop on the way at Cbeesequake Creek. 



On clearing Ward's Point the crew wished that he had tucked 

 that reef in ~his mainsail he spoke of a while ago, as the fresh 

 breeze blowing against the ebbing tide made the water rough for 

 small craft; however, lacing the canvas cover tightly over the 

 coaming, and putting under cover anything the spray would 

 injure, we let her drive, sitting well out to windward on deck 

 seats, and increasing our stability by absorbing in our clothing 

 quite an amount of salt water, but who cared, not the canoeist, 

 for he was already wet, and 1 might say dry again, and the crew 

 rather liked the bath, having plenty of dry togs below, so begging 

 occasionally we made fairly good weather of it. The tide beginning 

 now to run in the same direction as the wind, by now and then 

 making a short tack to the eastward we were able to keep well to 

 windward of our course. All this would be of no moment were 

 it not for what followed. The bay where we now were was full of 

 stakes marking oyster beds, and we were kept busy dodging them 

 and the puffs; meeting a stake we could not avoid or uid not 

 notice we went over it, and heard it scrape along the bottom, hut 

 being very pliable it could do no damage of course, and no further 

 attention was paid to it in the endeavor to avoid another. As we 

 afterward found, however, on coming up astern it caught Passaic's 

 canoe and tore her loose. After getting away from the staked 

 beds, or "out of the woods" as Passaic put it, we looked hack, to 

 find the canoe adrift, about a mile astern aud evidently full of 

 water. 



our crew has beard a worthy dominie say that under some cir- 

 cumstances profanity, if not too gross, is excusable, acts, in fact, 

 as a safety valve to allow the escape of vile humors which, if kept 

 imprisoned, disturbs the mental atmosphere and makes a fellow 

 out of sorts for no end of time. 



However, no time is to be lost; so down helm and square away 

 for the wreck. Approaching it, it was seen to catch against a 

 Stake for a moment, then break away and pitch up against an- 

 other with the water making a clean breach over it. If we bud to 

 work carefully to avoid the stakes in heating down, we had to be 

 doubly so in going before it, in order to avoid tearing our main- 

 sail or breaking our boom. I won't try to tell you how on coming 

 alongside and grabbing a line out. of the canoe, waterlogged as she 

 was, she refused to tow. and before we could let go our anchor we 

 began to foul the stakes; at last, however, we were clear, and the 

 canoe on deck, bottom up, lashed fast, with its stern just clearing 

 our traveler, our boom well topped up, and standing if not 

 our course, close to it. After getting the canoe on board we 

 had taken the opportunity to visit, the ice box and quaffed a 

 couple of bottles of Milwaukee with the effect of inducing a more 

 equable frame of mind. We made Cheesequake Creek in good 

 time, where the canoe was launched, and Passaic left the crew, 

 who promised to stop for him on his return. 



Keyport was finally made, but. the beat was tedious against a 

 head tide with a failing wind. Making fast at the shipyard the 

 boat and traps were given iu charge of an old oysterman.'and the 

 crew started out to hunt up his friend. 



"Man proposes hut woman often disposes." So in this instance 

 Kevport's better half thought tit to present him with a son and 

 heir on the previous night, and of course a shooting trip for him 

 was not to be thought of. Passing the night at a hotel, the crew 

 had about made up his mind to go back, when he happened to 

 bethink himself of Passaic, who was an expert shot and a good 

 fellow, so borrowing a gun from Keyport afler breakfast a run 

 was made back to Cheesequake. Here some canoes were ob- 

 served, among others that of Passaic. Canoemen it seems wore 

 talking of getting up what they call a "meet" here, hence his 

 presence on behaif of his home club, with others on a similar 

 errand, he was not easily persuaded to accompany the crew, but 

 yielded after being told that the mosquitoes were not nearly so 

 bad at the Hook, and no trouble would be experienced there in 

 sleeping. This was the fact as far as the sleeping part went, but 

 the mosquitoes were about equally as bad one place as the other. 

 Without, a mosquito-bar it is folly to expect comfort in sleeping 

 in these or similar localities on the water near shore. 



Passaic's canoe was left in care of an acquaintance, aud 

 coming on board the Useful, with a goad breeze from the south- 

 west we headed for the Hook. Up to this time the crew bad 

 rather a poor opinion of the sailing qualities of a canoe, but a 

 surprise was in store for him; headway had hardly been gained, 

 when a large Rushton canoe, 16x80, with two good-sized balance 

 lug sails, ranged up alongside and was slowly, but, surely, leaving 

 us. The crew thought as soon as we got well under way we 

 would pick him up and leave him, but no, there was no mistake 

 about it, he was leaving us, so giv ing the stick to Passaic the 

 topsail was sent, aloft, which enabled us to hold our own, but no 

 more, and it was not until a balloon jib 18ft. leach, lift, on foot 

 and 23ft, on the stay, was sent up that we began to leave him. 

 With this press of sail, requiring a preventer backstay led back 

 to the traveler, it was no wonder we began to go by, still on 

 waterline length he was a foot longer than the Useful. The crew 

 IS now prepared to say that with wind on the quarter or dead aft 

 in from a moderate to a good breeze such a large canoe wall hold 

 her own with the average sailboat of her length, and in rough 

 water is inclined to believe would pass her. 



We took in our light sails and tackled the Hugh ton uuder main- 

 sail and jib reaching; on this course we could best her a little, 

 but in a turn to windward she was simply nowhere. The canoe's 

 inferiority to windward, 1 take it, is owing in a. great measure to 

 her sails; the balance lug for running and reaching may be, and 

 probably is, all right, but, for windward work it is unscientific. 

 Theory and practice prove that the fore-and-aft sail withga ff and 

 boom is best adapted for beating— no pun intended— and a modifi- 

 cation of the periauger rig could no doubt be used on canoes 

 wherein the sail is handled with one halliard, as is now done on 

 some small craft. Nothing in the sail line, the crew thinks, can 

 eA-er successfully compete with the boom and gaff fore-and-aft 

 mU in windward work. The freedom of movement of the peak of 

 the sail cau-cs it when the wind is stronger it move somewhat 

 more to leeward than in light, wind. This elasticity is what materi- 

 ally aids the boat so rigged in "climbing," and is lacking in ( he leg- 

 of-mutton sail. In t he matter of "going about" the canoe structure 

 must be always defective, owing, of course, to the lack of weight 

 and slight immersion, coupled with the wind and water resistance 

 on the hull. The canoe, though, is a beautiful and useful craft in 

 its place, the ti nth being that many of its cranks claim for it 

 toi many good qualities, all of which it can not possess in the 

 nature of things. 



Bidding the Hush ton adieu we again head for the Hook with a 

 favoring tide. Off Port Monmouth quite extensive fyke nets are 

 stretched, in which many menhaden besides weak, blue and king- 

 fish are caught. Perched on top of the poles were several fish- 

 bawks, one of whom appeared a very fine specimen, which Passaic 

 desired to obtain for stuffing on being told that there was some 

 arsenical soap on board, so one of the guns was put in readiness, 

 some shells of No. 1 shot inserted, and we waited a nearer ap- 

 proach. When about 40yds. off our specimen started to fly. being 

 the last to take wing— bang! bang! and the crew laughs heartily 

 at the disappointment of Passaic as the bird sails away; but hold I 

 What does he so gradually descend in his flight for, and sail so 



close to the water? he is hit as sure as shooting. Putting in some 

 shells we haul our wiud and soon come again within shooting 

 distance of him, who again slowly attempts to fly. Bang! Again 

 a few convulsive fluttcrings of the wings and all is still. The 

 crew speculates on the reason why a bird hard hit in the body 

 vntk a charge of shot dies quickly, whereas another with its head 

 almost blown off and brains exuding will flop around quite 

 actively for a time. Passaic recalled an incident where in his 

 baTnyard. having occasion to shoot the head off a fowl for dinner, 

 be did not observe some yards further along behind a bunch of 

 weeds, a favorite layer, the chicken with its head off flopped 

 around and spoiled a, pair of trousers for him, while, he was stand- 

 ing aghast at the cruel and unlocked for results of his shot, whose 

 Victim lav quite still and dead. The explanation is no doubt 

 found in the fact that in the one case the lungs are free to breathe 

 as when the head is taken off. but when a body is shot through 

 the lungs they till up, and of course death is instantaneous. 



The crew related how, in Sullivan county, New York, he had 

 shot a black duck which was promptly retrieved bv his setter, and 

 was put into his pocket, but who shortly afterward began to re- 

 vive, and got quite lively. On examination no blood or marks of 

 shot were seen, and supposing the bird bad been hit on the head 

 by a peUet which glanced and was only temporarily stunned, he 

 determined to bring ithome. It was found, however", that itcould 

 not fly, was listless and would not eat. Food, however, was forced 

 down its throat, and it moped along for about a week. At last 

 time came for going home, and as it was seen the bird was not 

 right although no external evidence of injury existed, it was 

 killed and carefully picked and then dissected. It was not until 

 t he skull was opened that the wound was discovered. A pellet of 

 No. 8 shot had entered the skull at one corner of the eye, passed 

 through the brain transversely, and lodged in it against the op- 

 posite, side of the skull. 



Meantime the fish hawk bad been secured with the ever handy 

 scap-net and hung from the bowsprit until land should be 

 reached. Richmond. 



[TO BE CONCLUDED.! 



w 



A CRUISE OF THE MONAITIPEE ON GREAT 

 SOUTH BAY. L. I. 



AVING heard many accounts of the Great South Bay, L. I., 

 including Mr. Robert B. Roosevelt's graphic descriptions of 

 the stretch of water, over which he is justly enthusiastic, we, 

 the captain, steward and crew of tb.esloopMonaitip.ee, of Bheeps- 

 head Bay, L. I., determined to make a cruise upoti it, so on June 

 17. 1888, at. about ft o'clock, A. M., we cast off our mooring line 

 and with a light breat h of air from N.W. glided down t he bay. 



The Monaitipee is 23ft. over all, 19ft. l.w.l., 7ft. Gin. beam and 

 2f t. Sin. draft. 



It is hardly necessary to state that our craft was wel] pro- 

 visioned. Our steward had been busily occupied up to the time 

 of our departure in stowing away beneath the forward deck in- 

 numerable quantities of cans, boxes, baskets, bundles and pack- 

 ages of all sizes and shapes, until Capt. L., fearing that tie yacht 

 would be down too much by the head, induced him to stow what 

 remained further aft. 



At Point Breeze, around which the waters of the bay enter and 

 recede, we landed the fourth member of our crew, who, owing to 



fathoms of water, 

 bottomed tender 1 

 beach until dark, 

 for another 



business, was unable to accompany us on the trip. Be stood on 

 the beach and watched us as wc faded away; and how we pitied 

 him. 



yachtsmen can come and go at will, providing the wind and 

 tides are favorable, but on this day the wind, what there was, 

 was decidedly unfavorable, having hauled around to south by 

 the time we reached the point, and the tide heiug on the flood 

 made it an utter impossibility to beat out of Rockaway Inlet. 

 We stood back and forth for a couple of hours with hardly 

 enough wind to keep the mainsheet taut, until becoming dis- 

 gusted with such unprofitable sailing, we ran ashore on the in- 

 side of Rockaway Beach and went in bathing, after which we 

 had dinner, 



We were doomed lor the day, as no wind came until late in the 

 afternoon, and then only enough to enable us to run into a cove 

 just inside of Rockaway Point, where we anchored in four 

 Furling the sails we went ashore in the (iat- 

 e had brought along, and strolled about the 

 Returning, we climbed on board and prepared 

 We splashed about for over an hour, and then 

 partaking of a light supper, and enjoying a smoke, turned in for 

 the night, and lay listening to the roar of the surf and the 

 musical hum of mosquitoes until Morpheus closed our eyes in 

 slumber. 



Monday, June 18.— At 3:30 in the morning we were aroused by 

 the sleward, who was always the first one to awake. Faint 

 streaks of dawn were just beginning to appear in the east. Not a 

 ripple ruffled the glass-like surface of the little bay around us. 

 "No wind, what? Well, we may get a breeze later." We ate our 

 breakfast by the light of the cabin lamp, and then got up sail. A 

 faint breath of air was beginning to fan our cheeks as we ran up 

 the topsail. Tom, who composed the crew, with the assistance of 

 t he steward laid hold of the cable and brought the anchor under 

 the. bowsprit, then running up the jib she gradually fell away 

 and began to slip out into the inlet. What there was of the 

 breeze came from the westward, and we were soon, with the aid 

 of the ebbing tide, clear of the Rockaway Shoals, and headed 

 down the shore, rising and falling with the long even swells that 

 came rolling in from the ocean. 



The captain and steward becoming wearied of such monotony, 

 added to the beat from the sun, about S o'clock got into the cabin 

 and prepared for a snooze, saying at the same time not to wake 

 them up until something in the shape of a hurricane came along. 

 He, the helmsman, had no cause for calling them, but about 9:30, 

 when the Monaitipee was rolling along off Far Rockaway, and 

 the solitary helm man was in imminent peril of joining his 

 two friends in the cabin by going to sleep, he was brought. back 

 to his senses by a jerk at the tiller. With a start he opened his 

 eyes, and found his vessel coming up into the wind, perceiving at 

 the same moment that a light breeze had set in from the south'ard. 

 The aacht now began to leave a mark behind her, and the regular 

 swis™ swish tinder the bow was music to the ear of the lonesome 

 crew. When the captain, awakened by the motion of the yacht, 

 came up through the companionway we were running along in 

 front ot Long Beach, having just passed Funday Inlet. A grin of 

 satisfaction overspread his bewhiskered face, as, producing his 

 briarwood, he rammed home a charge of "Old Goid," and relieving 

 the steersman settled down for a comfortable smoke. Readers 

 will please understand that this was our first trip in this direction, 

 and all we knew of the localities was what we could get from the 

 charts we had provided ourselves with, together with a little in- 

 formation gathered from other sources, so that when we made a 

 break for Jones Inlet we took the wron j course, and camo within 



an ace of getting on to a shoal. As it was we went about in thf 

 breakers, and stood off shore for a half mile, then perceiving s 

 row of stakes further east we understood our situation. We hac 

 started to go in to the westward of the first stakes, whereas we 

 shonld have gone between the first, and second row of channel 

 marks. 



Seeing our course clear we squared away for the inlet. The 

 wind had freshened considerably, and it was now blowing a good' 

 whole sail breeze. Away we scudded, one minute perched high 

 up on an immense wave and the next in a watery gulf, while i 

 towering roller comes rushing at us from astern as though i 

 would swallow us up. But the gallant Monaitipee rises grace- 

 fully on its crest, and shoots away like an arrow from a bow. In 

 a few minutes we entered the mouth of a creek and turnei 

 sharply to the left. Continuing on for a short distance in i 

 westerly direction, the creek makes another turn to the north 

 ward. We followed; the course of the stream, passing quite a 

 number of boats, the occupants of which gazed at us curiously, 

 knowing, no doubt, that we were strangers. Hailing some men 

 who were standing in the water, which was up to their waists 

 and who were lifting a large net into a wide, flat-looking boat, 

 we inquired which was the way to Freeport, for the creek directly 

 ahead branched off in several different directions. Being in- 

 formed we contifiued on, while the men in the flat boat, having 

 got .their net on board, hoisted a large spritsail ana" came on be- 

 hind us. We luffed and allowed them to pass that they niigh 

 act as pilots, and it. was well we had some one to show us the 

 way, or I doubt if we could ever have reached Freeport that day. 

 The stream ran in a zig-zag fashion, and the channel was first on 

 one side and then on t he other. 



We: finally entered a little narrow canal-like stream about 20,' 

 or 30ft. wide, and after a few r more twists and turns came sud- 

 denly into view of a wharf. On one side of the stream, which] 

 was a little broader here, were a balf dozen great reels, resting! 

 on posts planted at either end. Around these mammoth spoolsi 

 were wound the fishermen's nets for the purpose of drying.) 

 Several rickety-looking old catboats and sloops lay about the 

 creek, and a strong smell of decaying fish pervaded the atmos-i 

 phere. Tying up to one of the piers, we leaped on shore, giad of j 

 a chance to stretch our limbs. It was about, 1 o'clock, and we 

 were beginning to feel the necessity of eating. While the steward 

 and crew were iu search of a grocery store, to get some fresh 

 bread and some minor articles, the captain look it upon himself 

 to cook a blueflsh which he bought, from the fishermen who 

 guided us in the creek. It was a very warm day, and when din- 

 ner was ready we sat down in the shade of an old shed near the 

 whart to eat. it. We spent a very enjoyable hour here, although 1 

 the surroundings were not of the kind calculated to give one an 

 appetite, decomposed fish being quite numerous in the vicinity. 



After a look about the quiet little town we returned on board. 

 An old man, whom we found gazing interestedly at, our yacht, 



good-naturedly endeavored to describe our course through 

 South Oyst er Bay; but, be might just as well have saved his breath , 



OTU I Li w l , 3i-v.i JJ(»,J , uuii Lie IUIJ.UI ,| i rLO v, CH XI tX V e il V V U U. I S U I L* irl. L U , 



for after talking half an hour, during which he related stories of 

 shipwrecks outside the inlet, part of the history of the town, am' 

 occasionally referred to a, bulkhead tha t we would come to some 

 where, once past which we would be all right with a clear sweep 

 before us, we knew just a little more than before we met him. 



As we were getting under way wc observed him with his head 

 bent forward, and a puzzled expression on his face endeavoring 

 to read the name on the stern of our boat. We began to laugh, 

 and informed him that it was an Indian name— the English defi- 

 nition of which is Queen of the Sea. He walked off muttering! 

 something about putting it on in plain English, and we began 

 poling out, past the first bend preparatory to getting up sail, 

 there not being room enough to tack in the limited space. On our 

 way out we met a large sloop of perhaps twenty or thirty tons 

 coming in. One could have jumped to either bank from her deck, 

 and we only got past, her by crowding into a corner where the; 

 stream made a turn in another direction. We wondered if she 

 could ever get out again with anything but a fair wind. It was 

 now blowing quite hard from the west, and we soon found our-: 

 selves out, on the long stretch of water known as South Oyster, 

 Bay. With boom well off we skimmed alcng for mile after mile, 

 guessing the direction we should go, until we fell in with some 

 clammers who pointed out the way to Amity ville. Jibbing the! 

 mainsail to starboard, we followed the channel, which made al 

 curve to the N. E., and just as the sun was sinking from sight wel 

 let go the anchor in the muddy little creek which leads to the! 

 town. 



The harbor was quite an improvement on the one at Freeport, 

 however, and the view around was much more pleasant. The 

 place was filled with small craft, many of which were duck or: 

 sneak boats. Prominent among the fleet were some fine looking: 

 cat-rigged boats with very bluff hows, and apparently of light: 

 draft, which of course is unite necessary in these waters. 



We spent the evening walking about the place seeing the sights. 

 On our way back to the yacht we stepped into a "combination" 

 store, where they sold everything from a loaf of hread to a pair 

 of shoes, and purchased some fishing tackle. Wc were thinking: 

 of the Island inlet, and in case the bluefisb had commenced toi 

 come in, we would need some more squids. One thing about this 

 town struck me very forcibly, viz.: the number of mosquitoes 10] 

 the square inch. With their assistance we were very lively ini 

 getting on board, and once inside we lost no time in firing up our 

 lamps, and then the battle commenced in earnest to see who 

 could stand the smoke the longest. We never found out posi-' 

 lively, but when we awoke next morning about 3 o'clock we were) 

 inclined to think the mosquitoes had had the most fun. The cap-j 

 tain woke us in his frantic endeavors to clean out the cabin by 

 the aid of a blue shirt which he was slamming around without 

 any regard for glassware or biic-a-brac. With the coming of i 

 daylight they disappeared to some extent, and when the wmdj 

 began to blow bard from the east we were troubled no more by 

 the frolicsome insects. 



Wc got away about seven o'clock, with a single reef in the 

 mainsail, and beat through to Babylon, where we arrived about; 

 9:30 A.M. We were very much pleased with this pretty town, 

 and spent considerable time looking around at the handsome 

 residences and hotels. The Argyle had not opened as yet, but wet 

 took a walk about the grounds which were quite extensive. On] 

 our return we stepped into a photographer's and had some tin-i 

 types manufactured, and we are indebted to these pictures for 

 some of the amusement we had during the remainder of the 

 cruise. After we had partaken of an unusually large dinner, we: 

 hauled up alongside the steamboat landing and went ashore fori 

 water. The wind which was still from tbe east had increased 

 to quite a blow, and we started for Fire Island with two reefs raj 

 the mainsail and one in the jib, but on the second reach we shook 

 out one reef as she stood up splendidly. The bay was flecked 

 with white caps as far as the eye could see, and but few sails 

 were visible. A large catboat with three yawl boats in tow had 

 started out, ahead of us but, we soon overhauled and passed her. 

 That was a delightful sail, with only enough slop to make things 

 lively, and a good pipiug breeze blowing, while the sun occasion- 

 ally came out from behind a cloud to dry up some of the spray on 

 the deck. It was nearly five o'clock when we brought Sammis's 

 into full view, and a little later luffed up along side the pier in 

 front, of the hotel. 



We went ashore aud over to the lighthouse, crossing the little 

 stretch of barren sand hills which intervene. Gnats and mos- 

 quitoes swarmed up out of the grass as we walked along, and we 

 all started off on a run toward the stone steps which load to the 

 base of the tower. The keeper must have thought wo wore going 

 to take the place by storm, and retired inside for security, for we 

 walked around for some time before we saw any signs of life. 

 Finally a man came out of the front door, and we made known to 

 him our desire to see the mechanism of the lamps and the interior) 

 of the. place in general. He hesitated, saying something about il 

 not being his turn, but nevertheless be conducted us inside. Wa 

 passed through a long hallway- to the circular iron stairway wirier, 

 leads up to the lamp. We went, up and gazed with interest upon 

 the wonderful light, a sight of which is so welcome to incoming; 

 mariners. Our guide amused us by relating several stories con^ 

 nected with the history of the beacon, and told some pretty tali, 

 tales about the enormous number of birds that were killed annu- 

 ally in consequence of its dazzling brightness; blinded by it* raya 

 tney dash madly against the thick lenses and drop to the baleoni. 

 or to the ground, one hundred and some eighty odd feet below, 

 some stunned and others killed. Remunerating the guide, which 



ft 



he delicately hinted was customary, we descended and returned 

 to our ship. Wo anchored off a short distance from the pier for 



. pier i__ 



the night to prevent taking the bottom, for where we had landeci 

 the water was rather shoal. The air was quite cool over ber<( 

 and we put in a comfortable night, undisturbed by our enemies. 



Next morning we were up early, and after a hasty breakfast we 

 ran up our canvas and started down the inlet to have a try at tho 

 blueflsh, the lighthouse keeper having informed us that theji 

 were beginning to come in. Two or three catboats were ahead oi 

 us, and we perceived that they occasionally took a fish. Throw- 

 ing out our squids we began tacking about near the edge of a 

 shoal over which the incoming tide wasraoidly flowing, and were 

 soon gratified by landing a small 2-pound er. Strikes were fre-< 

 quent, but in some miraculous manner they would nearly alwayr 

 manage to escape just when we were sure we bad them withii. 

 our grasp. But in a couple of hours time we had all that w* 

 could conveniently take ogre of withouthaving them spoil on oui* 



