Feb. is, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



77 



THE little yaclit Monaitipee is known to ttic rcmli^rs ot the 

 Forest awd STHioAi^f ihrnutch liof cniinrH i)Ui)li,sliod on 

 March 14, 1889, and .Tan. aO. 1890. the latter to Wadmsr Hiver. being 

 made by my8eJf iind three CDnipamoua m August. IbS;!. 



Two weeks previous lo our sfu.riniti on thi.s venture the Moaai- 

 tipeo had returned trom ,a crnise to (treenport. L. I., but as I did 

 not partieipate in it the Wadmu: River irip was wT'nieii and pub- 

 lished instead, although occurriDs,' later m the season, buice 

 then, however, my brother has written nie vlie particular.? ot ihe 

 Greenport cruise, which I will undertake to put betore the read- 

 ers of the Fobesx and Strua.m witli the perhaps coneeited idea 

 that some fellow Oorinthiana uiav hud iiiteiest eiioui?h m the ac- 

 connt to read it througn. 



To my mind there is too little told of this delightful recreatiou, 

 and any addition to the small amount should be welcomed, eveu 

 trom the pen of one who owus his inability to place it before the 

 reader in other than a homely and crude shape. 



The cruise hegan with a weakfishing trip to Staten Island; we 

 started on Saturday, July 5, having on board my hrotlier (who is 

 captain), Tom, the crew and myself. We left Sheep«head Bay, 

 our headquarters, about 7 A. M. with S.W. breeze. About noon 

 we anchored near the Hospital Islands and caught a few duke. A 

 little wind came along from the southward and we continued to 

 Huguenot, where we arrived about 5 o'clock. 



We landed, refreshed ourselves, and then preceded to the fish- 

 ing grounds about a half mile olE shore and anchored. Before 

 starting to fish we prepared and ate our evening meal, l»y which 

 time the stm kad set beputif ully and darkness was creeping over 

 the surroundings. Lights began to peep forth from the shore and 

 reflect their radiance in the placid waters of the bay, while round 

 about us glared numerous jacklights, ostensibly to attract the 

 wary weakfish. We had no jack light, but possessed two lan- 

 terns of the ordinary type, one of which we hung on each qiuarter 

 to serve both as a lure for the fish land illumination for our- 

 selves in our maneuvers in fixing bait, etc. 



We got our lines out and for nearly an hour we waited without 

 any gratifying result. Suddenly Tom got a vigorous yank at his 

 line and began reeling in. Almost at the same instant I hooked 

 something too. Both turned out to be weaktiah and weighed about 

 31bs. each. The captain followed with a three-pouuder, and for 

 over an hour we hauled them in at short intervals. None weighed 

 over 31bs., but they were gamy fellows, and q_uite a number es- 

 caped from us while we were endeavoring to land them. 



About ten o'clock Tom quietly laid down his pole, leaving liis 

 line hanging overboard, and crawled into his bunk. Not niany 

 minutes after the captain followed suit, leaving me alone to mind 

 the three poles. The night breeze was cool and I buttoned by coat 

 up and crouched down behind the cabin where the wind would 

 not reach me, determined to stick it out all night. A half hour 

 passed and iiot a sign of a bite, the poles lay with the butts oti the 

 floor just as they had been left. In spite of my resolution I fell 

 asleep. 



I was aroused by a great racket and discovered the poles danc- 

 ing a sort of hornpipe around the cockpit. 1 ducked my head into 

 the cabin and gave a warwboop that awoice the captain so sud- 

 denly that in jumping up he nearly drove his head through the 

 roof of the cabin. Seizing one of the rods I found I had hooked a 

 good one and soon landed a three-pounder. In the meantimB my 

 brother had taken charge of the other poles, and in a tussel with 

 tliem both lost one flsli but secured the other. This luck was con- 

 tinued for about half an hour, and again they disappeared. 



soon gave it up as dai'kness came on, and finding it a net very 

 entertaining pastime. 



Shortly before 8 o'clock we sighted an opening in the shore 

 which apparently led into a basin of some sort, and we agreed to 

 go lu, and if we toutid it a good anchorage to lay there for the 

 mght. We accordinglv towed the Monaitipee inside and found it 

 a very good harbor. We learned from a native that it was called 

 fjhnuney Corner. A schooner lav alongside a rude wharf and was 

 loading a cargo of stone which had been quarried fi-om the cliff 



As the majority of the yachts were larger than the Monaitipee 

 they soon left us astern. We watched them as they receded, 

 unable to take our attention from so beautiful a sight of white 

 sails shadowed here and there, and at other parts brilliant and 

 sparkling in the sun, while their glossy sides sent forth flashes of 

 light as Old Sol cast his rays upon the glossy paint. A long line 

 of foam marked their course and we followed on this milky high- 

 way. We sighted what we concluded must be Penfleld Reef 

 Lighthouse about 5 o'clock, and shortly after passed it, and soon 

 had Black Rock Beacon abeam. Rounding this we headed up the 

 harbor close hatiled, making directly for the Bridgeport Light- 

 house. 



While on this course we ob.?erved a large sloop coming along to 

 windward with a pi.rty on board. She was flying the Yale Col- 

 lege flag. The party was eating a lunch, which was set out on a 

 large tray on top of the cabin. Evidently they were enjoying 

 themselves immensely, as the shouts of laughter frequently re- 

 sounded over the water to our ears She tacked a short distance 

 ahead of us while we were watching her. Suddealy before she 

 had gatliered headway a vicious gust of wind laid her almost on 

 her beam ends. We luffed just in time and stuck her nose square 

 at it: and how those two pieces of cotton did slap and bang! The 

 sound of china and glassware tumbling together told us that a 

 lunch had gone to feed the fishes. When we looked at them again 

 tbere seemed to be considerable confusion on board. In the midst 

 of the party I saw a fellow holding up a large tray, while another 

 was tossing pieces of broken dishes overboard. 



We followed the sloop into the harbor, and seeing an unoccu- 

 pied .spice alongside a stone abutment between the boat houses 

 we dropped anchor. The steamer Rosedale was Iviug in a berth 

 near the drawbridge. While I prepared supper Tom went ashore 

 to purchase a few articles we were in need of. He was back in a 

 half hour and reported favorably of the appearance of the city, as 

 mueli as he had seen of it. Neither of us liad ever been here be- 

 fore, and we intended to have a look around before we left. Sup- 

 per was ready and we both pitched in and ate as only two tired, 



which inclosed tbe basin on all sides except where the inlet was. 

 We put in a comfortable night in this snug little retreat. 



put in a comfortable night in this snug 



July 8.— We turned out early and at 4 o'clock A. M. were under- 

 way. As dayligbt came on we discovered that there was another 

 outlet a little further to the eastward, a small island fllling the 

 space between the two. We went out throtigh the east one and 

 once more were on the Sound. It was still very calm, but after a 

 short sail we came abreast of Greenwich, Conn., and turned in, 

 anchored and went on shore. We decided to stop here until some 

 wind arose. After a good deal of nosing around and a few in- 

 quiries we discovered the post office at the top of a long road 

 about a mile from the harbor. We sent a shore note to the boys, 

 ha^^ng promised to keep them posted as to our progress. 



All the noise we had made did not awaken Tom and he continued 

 peacefully to snore, and was shortly joined hv the captain again. 

 I heroically stuck to my purpose until 4 A. M., but only got one 

 more stray weakflsh. After daylight, when we counted them, we 

 found we had 43 weakflsh, averaging 31bs. each. 



We had weakflsh for breakfast, and about 8 o'clock, after hav- 

 ing visited the institution on shore presided over by Mr. Beasly, 

 we set sail for Harlem, with the wind dead ahead. We tacked 

 along shore to Gifirord's at Great Kills, and after a turn In among 

 the fishing boats, finding they were not doing as well as we had 

 done, we stood across toward Sandy Hook on the port tack for 

 about five miles. Then going about we were enabled to head up 

 for the Narrows. The sailing was very tedious on account of a 

 light breeze and an ebb tide, but at 11:80 we passed up through the 

 NarroM'S with an increasing southerly wind and the flood tide, and 

 were whirled along through the East River under the Bridge, and 

 on to Hell Gate, where we turned into the Harlem River and an- 

 chored in front of one of the boat houses thereon located. Here I 

 left the boys and returned home to Brooklyn with my weakflsh, 

 lamenting over my hard lack in not being able to aocom'pany them 

 on the trip. 



The rest of this cruise was told me by the captain, and I think it 

 is worth recording, being a rather ventursome trip for a 19ft. 

 waterline boat drawing 26in., commanded by amateurs who had 

 never been over the ground before and unsuijplied with either 

 chart or reliable compass; the only guide which they had to go by 

 being a railroad map with an outline of the ground on it— having 

 only the principal ports marked. I will tell it in his words: 



July 7, Monday morning, we spent a couple of bours taking in 

 provisions. We had not, up to this time, decided on just where 

 we would fetch up. There was a large sloop laying -jalongside, 

 getting ready for a cruise to Greenport, L. I., and after a short 

 consultation we concltrded we would make that our objective 

 point also. The sloop got under way, having eight young lellovva 

 on board, a cockpit piled up with boxes of provisions and a large 

 cooking stov^e. Ttieywent out through Hell Gate. We waited 

 until nearly high water, and, with a young man who knew the 

 locality, went through Little Hell Gate and with an extremely 

 light wind reached Whitestone about 3 P. M. Here our pilot left 

 tis and returned to Harlem in a steam launcb. 



We did not see the other yacht and were unable to tell whether 

 she was ahead of us or behind. After landing our friend we stood 

 away for the Sound, passed Throggs Neck, and the breeze dying 

 out completely we drifted along under a buruuig sun by Stepping 

 Stones Light and City Island. Occasionally a gentle pulf would 

 waft us along foi- a few minutes, only to die away and leave us in 

 tbe Iwob aigaiii. Tom took tbe teader mA towed for a wliUe, but 



Returninglwe found a good breeze ruffling the surface of Indian 

 Harbor. Welfilled our water keg from a neighboring pump, and 

 at 9 o'clock broke anchor and glided oat on to the broad surface 

 of the Sound. Greenwich had been left well astern when Tom 

 suddenly called my attention to a large number of white sails 

 coming up after us. At first we thought it was a yacbt race, but 

 finally came to the conclusion that it must be a yacht club cruis- 

 ing, which proved to be the case. The fleet overhauled us about 2 

 o'clock In the afternoon. It was the prettiest and most enlivening 

 sight we had seen since our start, and our spirits rose at the 

 beautiful spectacle of a fine squadron of well equipped craft- 

 white and black- -dasbing the water into white foam all about us. 



hungry cruisers can. After about an hour passed in tbis pleas- 

 ant occupation we retired to the cockpit for a smoke and to talk 

 over our future movements. 



After making all snug we went ashore and took a look at the 

 city as well as was possible in the evening. We were somewhat 

 astonished at tbe size and number of the business houses and fac- 

 tories. The part of the city through which we walked was almost 

 entirely made up of tbese large buildings. That which bit us the 

 hardest was the scarcity of grocery stores, and we searched for a 

 long time before we found a place to buy a fresh supply of pro- 

 visions. Having procured these, we returned to where we had 

 left tbe tender, which w.-^s at a float under the bow of the Rose- 

 dale. We climbed down in i:o her very carefully as it was intensely 

 dark, and paddled out to the Monaitipee. It was 10 o'clock when 

 we stepped on board, and we lost no time in getting into our 

 bunks. 



It seemed as though I had not been asleep five minutes (but in 

 reality it was two hours) when I awoke and found myself on th« 

 cabin'floor. I had been lying with my head toward the bow of the 

 boat, and when I attempted to get up I had great difficulty In 

 doing so, as I discovered that my feet were elevated almost as high 

 as my head although resting on the floor. At the least movement 

 of my body the yacht would careen from one side to the other, and 

 her stern appeared to be elevated high in the air. With a queer 

 feeling of wonder and alarm I managed to reach the companion- 

 way and crawl out into the cockpit. The noise I made in doing so 

 awoke Tom, and after a brief struggle and some confused exclama- 

 tions of astonishment and terror, his head appeared with hair on 

 end and bulging eyes. ''What's the matte;:? ^Vhat's the matter?" 

 he cried twenty times in succession before I could answer or dis- 

 cover the cause of our Bl;range position. 



I told him to be qu'et and keep his balance, and help me to keep 

 tbe boat steady and I would endeavor to ascertain the reason of 

 the queer antics of our craft. The night was as clear and calm as 

 when we had retired. The water was smooth, and there was 

 nothing visible that would account for the attilude of the yacht. 

 I looked over the counter and was dumbfounded at the distance 

 the water was below. Seizing an oar which lay on deck I thrust 

 it down alongside of tbe overhang. It brought up with a thud 

 Which sent cold chills up and dovm my spinal column, and visions 

 of jagged rocks crunching through the planking arose before me. 

 I continued to prod about with the oar and it suddenly sank 

 several feet deeper and apparently into soft mud. 



It suddenly struck me that the quickest way in which to find 

 out what we were aground on would be to let myself down on to it 

 and make a closer inspec'lon of the obstruction, and this I accord- 

 ingly proceeded to do, taking a lantern with me. I immediately 

 perceivea that the yacht was resting on a sunken log. It was a 

 very large one, too, and the heel of the boat had brought up on il 

 at the sternpost. Her bow was deep down in the mud and I 

 thought that I might be able to pry her ofi: with the oar, but this 

 I soon found to be impossible. Tom expressed a fear that she 

 might roll over, for she was lying almost on her beam ends, but 

 an examination forward showed that his fears were unnecessary, 

 she was sunk in the soft mud to the planksheer, and the end of 

 the bowsprit was out of sight. 



