October, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
545 
W HEN Mr. Adams said they had suf- 
ficient for their present needs, 
Matt sat down on the side of the 
boat and was buried in thought; his eyes 
wandering from point to point. “Gosh,” 
he exclaimed in his usual manner when 
in great earnestness, “I knew the water 
was runnin’ down this way,” pointing to- 
ward the beach, “not more’n a half hour 
ago, an’ now it’s runnin’ back this way. 
I’ve been wonderin’ if my head was 
wrong; ’sides, the water’s deeper here’n 
it was an’ the sand ridge over there is 
mos’ covered up, an’ it was bare when 
we first came down.” 
“The tide has turned and is now run- 
ning in from the sea,” said Mr. Adams; 
“it is never completely still.” To the 
boy the action of the tides was a mys- 
tery. While he might have heard of such 
a thing, it had meant nothing to him 
until confronted with the phenomena. 
The sun being intensely hot, the two men 
decided it would be better to row back 
to camp and rest in the shade until the 
afternoon, when fishing would be more 
comfortable. As they came to the camp 
the boy’s eyes were fastened on the bank 
opposite, and he sat musing for a long 
while without comment. Presently he 
said: “Seems t’ough things or me is 
loony; when we went away the’ was no 
roots showin’ over there an’ now they 
are all bare, an’ the water’s low some- 
how.” Mr. Adams led the boy to a com- 
fortable seat and gave him in detail 
much information on the working of the 
tides, saying that during each twenty- 
four hours there were two complete flood 
and ebb tides and of the great benefit 
they were to all animal life and how 
they prevented stagnation of the waters, 
as well as carrying down to the sea much 
effete matter which would contaminate 
the banks along all rivers. The moon’s 
influence on the waters was a hard sub- 
ject for the boy’s mind to grasp, and he 
sat, as was his wont, burying his toe in 
the ground, his earnest grey eyes fast- 
ened on the face of his instructor, drink- 
ing in the knowledge which in after years 
proved of such value to him. “There’s 
somethin’ I’d like to know more,” he said ; 
“how is it that the water runs up and 
down in the bay, but alius runs one way 
here in the river?” The boy’s question 
was a most natural one and has been 
asked by many older people. “It doesn’t,” 
said Mr. Adams; “it runs both ways and 
at the same time.” He then paused as 
he made the above puzzling statement, 
well knowing it would confuse the lad, 
and he waited to hear what remark he 
would make on the subject, and it was 
not long in coming. Matt’s eyes were 
fastened on a chipmunk which had run 
out on an old log on the opposite bank, 
where it sat chattering its complaint over 
the intrusion on its domain by the visi- 
tors. Its jaws were greatly distended by 
what was doubtless a quantity of seeds 
which it was hiding for winter consump- 
tion. “Looks like he had the mumps,” said 
the boy. Here was a subject with which 
he was familiar and the little animal’s 
method of carrying and storing its stock 
of winter provender was to him nothing 
new. Then reverting to the tide story 
he said, a little petulantly: “Shucks, 
might’s well say that stone,” which he 
had just shied across the stream, “goes 
an’ comes back at the same time.” Mr. 
Adams was much amused, as he had ex- 
pected some such comment. He then 
said: “The water has risen more than 
two inches on the old roots over there 
while we have been sitting here, and in 
a little while they will be completely cov- 
ered. As I said, the water is now run- 
ning up from the sea into the bay and 
from there up here, so now the water at 
this point is running up stream.” Matt 
made no reply but arose and picking up 
a piece of light bark threw it out on the 
water, saying as he did so: “If she don’t 
go down stream I’ll eat her;” then, as if 
setting all matters at rest, he added, “you 
can see ’thout tellin’ she don’t come back 
none.” Mr. Woodhull was highly amused 
at the way Mr. Adams had the lad 
puzzled, but said nothing at that time. 
< 6 T S the water any higher on the roots 
[ now?” Mr. Adams asked, after sev- 
eral more minutes of waiting. 
“Course it’s higher,” was the answer, 
“but that ain’t tellin’ me nothin’ nout 
how it runs up stream when all you’ve 
got to do is look an’ see her go down.” 
Both men laughed and Mr. Adams, walk- 
ing back to the tent, soon returned with 
a small bottle into which he proceeded 
to drop small pebbles until, on testing it 
in the water, it would barely float. He 
then took one of Matt’s fishing po’es, and 
placing the neck of the bottle in the small 
fork left on the small end to prevent the 
line from slipping off plunged the bottle 
to the bottom of the pool, saying as he 
shook the pole to loosen the bottle : “Look 
now where it comes up.” To Matt’s 
amazement a moment later he saw it 
come to the surface several feet up- 
stream from where it was thrown in. 
He said never a word for several min- 
utes, but sat digging his toe into the 
bank in a most industrious manner, then 
straightening himself up asked pointed- 
ly: “What in tarnation made that bottle 
go upstream ’till she come to the top 'nen 
stop, an’ go down?” 
Mr. Adams, feeling it was time to en- 
lighten the boy, said kindly: “My lad, 
this stream is like so many things in life ; 
we cannot tell by looking at the surface 
what is taking place beneath to surprise 
or deceive us. All tides everywhere work 
from the bottom. Naturally the bottom 
here is a little higher than it is in the 
bay or the water would not run down 
at any time. The tremendous pressure 
of the tide in the sea, as I said before, 
forces the water into the bay, then, as it 
rises on up here, salt water, being denser 
or heavier than fresh water stays at the 
bottom, and as the tide rises floats the 
fresh water to the top, which, having a 
natural fall, continues running down but 
only at the very top or just as much as 
it is above the level of the water in the 
bay. So you see, as I first said, the 
water at such places as this actually runs 
both ways at once and usually makes 
ideal places for fishing, as fish gather 
around to partake of the food which is 
usually to be met with.” Before the tale 
was finished the look on Matt’s face indi- 
cated that his mind had grasped the 
situation in an intelligent manner and 
his only remark was: “Oh!” 
M R. WOODHULL busied himself with 
gathering material for a fire while 
the others attended to the crabs; 
the hard ones being packed in a box and 
covered with wet grass to wait for sup- 
per time, while the shedders were treated 
in much the same manner, being packed 
in one of the lockers of the boat. The 
boy watched with great interest the pro- 
cess of dressing the soft crabs, which 
were to be used for their dinner. Mr. 
Adams then explained many things re- 
lating to their habits and importance as 
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 568 ) 
The house where Matt lived with Aunt Mary is still standing today 
