Dec. 30, 190S.] 
B8 7 
the light of the big lamp should not shine out full on 
the broad waters of the river. 
When for any reason it became necessary to point 
the hose of the craft toward mid-stream, it was in- 
variably for the smallest possible space of time and in 
such a manner apparently as to attract the least at- 
tention. This fact, coupled with the evident anxiety 
of the pole man whenever the maneuver was necessary, 
might have led even a casual observer to believe the 
men were anxious to conceal their doings from the 
world. 
But two or three hours passed without any craft or 
person, save their own and themselves making an ap- 
pearance, so the lines of anxiety on the face of the pole- 
man slowly disappeared and smiles of satisfaction took 
their place. He even occasionally ventured on a rough 
pleasantry when his partner missed a good plump eel. 
Indeed, he not only made no protest, but promptly 
obeyed a signal given him when they rounded a 
sudden bend to sheer off into the deeper water and 
nodded his head in agreement to the muttered words: 
“There’ll be no one about this time o’ the night, so 
we’ll have a shy at somethin’ better.” 
“Somethin’ better” was soon impaled on the pitch- 
fork-like prongs. It was a queer looking eel. Not so 
long, and in shape quite different. 
The poleman gave a low, hoarse chuckle. “That 
there’s a scaly kind o’ eel, Jack.” 
“Wot,” said the other in a tone of surprise, but with 
the lowering of an eyelid, “isn’t it an eel?” 
“You know durn well it ain’t,” responded the other, 
“you know durn well it’s a six-pound -salmon.” 
“Well,” ans-wered his companion, “here’s another to 
keep him company, an’ fur luck.” 
This quick accession to the supply already in the boat 
nearly made the poleman forget himself, for he made 
the preliminary motion for the utterance of a howl of 
joy, but restrained himself in time, and he spoke in- 
stead, “I tell you, Jake, there’s nothin’ like giggin’ to 
get fish.” 
“You bet,” answered Jake, emphatically. “Beats nets 
all to bits. Gigger kin git more fish in one night than 
a netter in two. Say, what do you say to workin’ a 
little more into the channel? Safe enough, I reckon.” 
Jake was about to respond affirmatively, but just then 
there came floating out across the water the sound of 
a- couple of loose stones rolling down the embankment 
of the river. Two or three more followed immediately. 
Both men gave a lively start of affright. All thought 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
of the channel and gigging was abandoned. Like a 
flash the gig light was extinguished, and with one or 
tvm sturdy silent thrusts with the pole, the boat was 
pushed under a thick mass of underbrush which leaned 
far over the water’s edge. Breathing quickly in evident 
fear, the two men held the boat still and waited for 
v.diat might happen next, and every minute or two their 
hearts jumped at the sound of more stones rattling 
down the side of the bank. 
At length Jake whispered, “I can’t stand this no 
longer. I’m going to see wot’s up.” 
So saying he stealthily crept ashore and wormed 
himself silently away through the underbrush. To his 
companion it seemed an hour before he came back, 
and when he did there was a broad grin on_ his face. 
“We’re a couple of chumps. Bill,” he said. “It was 
nothin’ but a mus’ rat tryin’ to climb the bank.” 
“Jus’ the same, Jake, I’m jus’ skeered plumb stiffs 
an’ I have enough giggin’ for one night. Let’s light 
out an’ go home?” 
“Don’t make a monkey of yourself,” said the other, 
gruffly; “there’s another hour’s good fishin’ yet to be 
done before we gets the load we promised ‘Monk’ 
Maguire, down at the hotel. There ain’t no call to 
be skeered this time o’ night of anybody.” 
Unwilling Bill listened to the words of Jake, and 
he resumed his poling. After this the eels came rapidly 
until even Jake declared himself satisfied, and putting 
out the light had the boat run into the shadowy shore, 
where the two began straightening things preliminary 
to going home. 
No fear seemed to affect either at this time, and they 
became so busily engaged, that when their boat was 
lightly touched by some solid substance, they failed 
to notice it; but something an instant after did bring 
them to a sense of their surroundings. It was the quick 
incisive voice of a man. 
“Well, boys, been fishin’?” 
With a yell of fright, both men sprang to their feet 
nearly overturning the boat as they . did so. With 
bulging eyes they stared into the smiling faces of two 
men standing in a boat alongside. 
“Gosh!” exclaimed Bill and Jake simultaneously, 
“fish wardens!” 
“Just so,” nodded one of the strangers, pleasantly, 
“an’ we’re glad to meet you at this solem hour o’ the 
night. It was lonely for Gharlie an’ me here on the 
river all alone by ourselves, an’ seein’ that as we’ve 
fallen in with such pleasant company, we’ll go together. 
all the way down to Wellston, an’ in consequence, 
we’ll be easy on you before the Squire to-morrow 
mornin’. We’ll say nothing about the mess of eels 
you’ve got, an’ only call it twenty-five for giggin’ aiT 
ten apiece for them eight salmon an’ three bass. That- 
’ll make a hundred and thirty-five an‘ costs. Of course, 
all this is providin’ you make no fuss, an’ pay up at the 
Squire’s desk without kickin’ in the mornin’, other- 
wise, we will have to put the tenners on each eel, aiY 
that’ll be no joke, I’m thinkin’, when I survey the num- 
ber you’ve got.” 
“Good Lord!” groaned Bill, “why didn’t we light out 
after them mus’ rats got to stirrin’; mus’ rats always 
brings bad luck. Where’n blazes are we goin’ to raise 
one hundred an’ thirty-five plunks to pay our fine with?- 
That’s what I’d like to know? I guess it’s me for a 
hundred an’ thirty-five days in quod, les’ the old woman 
has ’em -in her stockin’. Damn giggin’ anyhow, an’, 
fish Vvardens, too.” W. E. Meehan, 
Dipping Herring Galore. 
Norfolk, Va. — Uncle Sam’s “jackies” have a way o£" 
their own to catch fish for keeps. They don’t always- 
use nets, nor haul seines. Indeed, they scorn appliances 
of all sorts! They only just hang on by the rail, and let 
the bounding billows do the rest. 
A case in point was when the United States. steam col- 
lier Lebanon came into the Capes at Norfolk one day 
last week, when it was blowing so hard. She ran into 
a school of herring, which rather enjoyed the churning 
sea, and dipped so heavily into one wave that she shipped, 
eight barrels. W. H. Seabury. 
The Angler’s Inn Song. 
Bright be the board, by Friendship crown’d, 
The hearth love-lights burn warm and clear; 
Enough for me if there be found 
The ho.stel’s very ready cheer. 
Next to that humble home endear’d 
By all the toil it cost to win. 
What shall we place beside or near’t? — 
Trust me — on second thoughts — an Inn. 
I’ve dwelt a day in grandeur’s halls. 
And nights of pleasure have been mine 
Within the cot’s o’er-ivyed walls, 
As ’mid the city’s gaudy shine; 
But there’s a charm, with home but shared, 
To pride and freedom both akin — 
Lord of yourself, that coin’s well spared 
That buys and keeps it at an Inn? 
— Sir Walter Scott. 
Lavinia^s J903 Cruise. 
The following is an account of a cruise made in the 
sloop Lavinia from Essington, Pa., to Plymouth, Mass., 
and return: 
Lavinia is a centerboard sloop of 10 tons register, 36ft. 
over all, 13ft. breadth, 3ft. 6in. draft, with board up. The 
cabin is large and commedious, with double transoms on 
either side 12ft. long and the usual centerboard trunk 
and table arrangement. Forward, on the starboard hand, 
is a toilet room and the same space to port is occupied 
by an ice-box, dish lockers and sideboard. At the after 
end are the clothes and provision lockers. Forward, 
under the deck, is the galley and accommodations for one 
man. The extreme peak is taken up by the oil tank and 
chain locker. The cockpit is circular, seating eight com- 
fortably. Aft of the cockpit, under the deck, are the 
water tanks, holding 80 gallons. She carries mainsail, 
single jih, gaff and jib topsails. 
She is enrolled in the fleet of the Philadelphia Y. C., 
whose anchorage is at Essington. By looking at a map 
you would hardly think Essington much of a yachting- 
center, but the Philadelphia Y. C. can compare very fa- 
vorably with any in the East, even if it has not their 
natural advantages. The cluh is located some 20 miles 
from the head of Delaware Bay and the same distance 
from salt water. Thy river is only one to two miles in 
width, with a fair depth of water in the vicinity of the 
shTp channel, but owing to the shallow water near the 
shores and in the small creeks, which are the only refuge 
in case of storms, a shallow’ centerboard boat is prefer- 
able and consequently that type prevails. The tide runs 
at the rate of three to four miles per hour, but this can- 
not be considered a disadvantage, as it often does the 
work of an engine in bringing one home, provided the 
proper calculations are made on the changes of the tide. 
Long before I became the proud owner of Lavinia, a 
cruise had been considered from Philadelphia to Plym- 
outh, Mass., my home, and return. During the winter 
months I would visit the yard -where Lavinia was hauled 
out for the winter and gaze with jealous eye on her pow- 
erful form, at the same time picturing mj^self aboard of 
her in a strong breeze with lee-rail a-w^ash. 
After final negotiations had been made and the boat 
w^as turned over, no time was lost in getting her in com- 
mission, for it w'as then the latter part of April and ave 
had planned to take our cruise on July Fourth, a dare 
w'hich had been particularly selected on account of the 
moon, w’hich proved of valuable assistance. My chum, 
Bo, had already signed as first mate, and each Saturday 
and Sunday found us busily at work burning off paint, 
varnishing- and making general -oreparations. By May 
30 she W’as ready for the first trial spin. Our spare time 
during the week was snent in discussing what we would 
need to take for the trip. 
We w’ere determined to be prepared for any einevo-ency. 
as the trip around Cape l\Iay and Cape Cod co’dd rat 
be cor.'^idered lightly, especialh’ in a boat of that size. In 
addi*^mn to the regular anchor with chain operated by a 
windlass, a spare anchor was carried on the port bow, 
for which we bad 30 fatlioms of .lin. cable. We were 
also provided with fog horns, rockets, complete set of 
charts, on which we had marked th'e course carefully, 
barometer, etc., and a generous supply of provisions. 
The party consisted of Bo, first mate and cook, and 
his wife ; Schmaltz, brother of the captain, second mate, 
and . his wife, and the captain. Schmaltz, who resided in 
Boston, was to join us at Atlantic City, it being our in- 
tention to sail to Atlantic City khe Saturday before the 
Fourth of July in order to save time. None of us had any 
experience in sailing in the open, but had follo-ved small 
boat racing for some y’ears on the Massachusetts Bay 
and Delaware River. ... 
It was 2:20 P. M. on June 27 that we dropped our 
mooring off the club house, our objective point being 
Atlantic City, a distance of about 115 miles. We had 
hopes of reaching our destinatoon by Sunday night, that 
is. if we sailed day and night and had any luck with the 
winds. The wind Avas light S.W., giving us a dead beat 
down the river, but the tide . was with us and Chester 
and Wilmington were soon passed. At 6 P. M. we 
reached Dch-'vare City, Avhich marks the head of Dela- 
ware Bay, Here the wind died ont and the tide having 
turned, we were forced to anchor and wait for a breeze, 
or the tide to turn in our favor. At i A. M. a light S.W. 
breeze sprang up and we were soon under way again. 
Delaware River is not difficult .to navigate at night, a 
most complete system of range lights making it impos- 
sible to deviate from the course. It is well, however, to 
sail a course parallel to the ship channel in order to 
avoid the traffic. 'wT took this opportunity to test our 
compass, which we h.ad adjusted as accurately as we 
could, by comparison with the course of the various 
range lights and found it to be very nearly co-rect. 
All night w’e beat to windward and by morning Reedy 
Island was astern p-'h! we uere fairly well out in the bay. 
At 10 o’clock Sunday morning the wind again petered 
out and; the tide being against us, we dropped our hook 
just south of Bombay Pfook light It was not until 2 
P. I\l. that we again got under way. The wind still held 
to the S. and with llie aid of the tide we made good 
time. Up to this time we had paid little attention to our 
chart, as one of our crew had some experience sailing 
in the bay. but owing to a miscalculation on his part, we 
touched with our board.' After this incident wc referred 
to our charts at frequent intervals. 
At 6 P. M. we were off Egg Island Point, 57 miles 
from Essington and t 8 miles from Cape May. We de- 
cided to stand over for the Cape, but after covering 4 
or 5 miles, the weather began to thicken and it was 
thoup-ht best to run into Maurice Riv^er Cove and anchor 
for the ni.pht. 
The wind had now freshened considerablv, and we had 
all the canvas we coukl swing to, but we did not care to 
reef so near our anchorage. At this juncture we ran 
into the oyster beds, the cove being a noted oyster ground 
ai-id were constaritly bearing away, or luffing up to avoid 
the stakes, which marked the beds at intervals of a few 
feet. We anchored astern of an oyster schooner about 
2 miles off shore and soon had things made snug for the 
niuht. 
Bo had whetted our appetites with descriptions of a 
juicy steak, which he was to prepare for dinner, but upon 
opening our ice-box found to his disgust that it was dog- 
meat, the office boy having evidently exchanged packages 
with another purchaser. After letting out an extra 5 
fathoms of chain to make Lavinia ride easier,, all hands 
turned in, resolving to make another trial in the morning, 
although we, were all due at our various places of busi- 
ness. . . 
Monday morning we turned out early and found -it 
raining hard, and the prospects for clearing looked poor, 
■ndeed. Various oyster boats were making out into the 
bay, so we decided to make a start, anyway. As usual, 
the wind was dead ahead and light at that, so little prog- 
ress was made. At noon we ran into a severe thunder 
squall, forcing us to anchor and drop everything. This 
killed what little wind we had, and it being 3 P. M., 
which made it impossible to reach Atlantic City before 
dark, we turned about and ran for Maurice River, where 
the boat w^as left in charge of an old sea captain. 
_ The following Friday the entire party previously men- 
tioned, left Philadelphia at' 5 P. M., arriving at Maurice 
River tAvo hours late in a driving rainstorm. The cap- 
tain Avas Availing for us, and after paying him for his 
trouble, Ave roAved out to the, boat and obtained oilskins 
and sails to keep the ladies dry. Finally all hands, in- 
cluding our various bundles, were safely aboard, and 
after hasty luncheon we turned in for the night. Sleep 
Avas out of the question, for we were located in a particu- 
larly favorite haunt of Jersey’s renowned and far-famed 
mosquitoes. ■ 
At . I o’clock the first mate hauled us out and we started 
down the river for the bay, Avhich we did not reach until 
6 P. M., OAving to the lack of Avind. At 10 o’clock we 
got a favorable slant and soon had the Cape in sight. 
Just before reaching this point an ugly squall was en- 
countered. We luffed up and anchored and lowered our 
sails, but not until the captain ascended the mast in rec- 
ord lime to clear the peak halliards, Avhich had gotten 
fouled. After the squall was OA'er we made sail and ran 
doAvn to the Point, where we anchored for lunch. There 
being an ugly chop on, the ladies did not partake of this 
meal. Lunch Avas soon over and we again got under 
way. 
The Avind had hauled to the N.E., making it a beat up 
the coast, but Avas strong and fresh. By dusk we had 
passed Wildwood and were abreast of Anglesea. Sailing 
lights were soon in position and we started on our first 
night’s sail in the open. The course was chosen about 4 
miles from shore to avoid the numerous fish pounds with 
which the Jersey shore is adorned. Bo- prepared one of 
his famous dinners, but he was the only one who en- 
joyed it. 
Ah night we beat up the coast and morning found us 
off Atlantic City, 40 miles from Cape Mav. The . wind 
had hauled again to the S.W., giving us a free sheet and 
topsails were soon bent and draAving. .. From Atlantic 
City north the Jersey coast is very barren and dismal, 
the monotony of the sand hills being only occasionally 
broken by a life-saving station or a summer resort. Nu- 
merous Avrecks were passed, bringing vividly to mind the 
dangers of this coast during the winter mont,h,s. 
