Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-08-01
Wonderful Deings at Hull.

"Peeping Tom," the Hull corresp pom
dent Of the Boston Courier relates an in
teresting event which occurred in that
place, about ths time the Bostonians were
all agog with the opening Of the mummy.
One of the Hull fishermen brought home
a double-smoked Sagadahock Herring.
boxed up, and after greatly exciting the
community by sight of the box and ac-
counts of its contents, he proposed to open
it at two cents spectator. The eventful
occasion arrived and alter preliminary
lecture on smokifcaiion, he proceeded:
This, ladies and gentlemen, and learned
pundits Of Hull, is my herring-box, con-
tanning my sagadahock Herring. When
we open the box, il / mistake not, we
shall see such fish as never went upon
dry land. The whole history of the
catching, picking, smoking, and boxing
up Of the herring, is described in these
six hieroglyphical characters, which you
see inscribed with charcoal on the outside
Of the box-P. H. U. D. G. E., which all
good scholars in the Sagadahock language
translate thus: Jar smoket 7ankea, kooso
kojank kun squansum kadong-That is TO
say, This is the deacon's wife, and no
mistake" (Here the learned pundits
shook their heads, and the audience turned
up the whites Of their eyes. 45
This, ladies and gentlemen, is very
tall box, and must contain very tall
herring. There were very tall herrings
in the days of old or at least they told
very tall stories of them. This herring,
according as we are taught by herring
oglyphical science. when we come to UNI
roll her, will be found as fresh as suck
ing mackerel. She is wrapped up in
Sagatlahock eel grass, and adorned with a
multitude of valuable antiquities. l ex-
pect to find several rusty fish-hooks in
her gills, together with an extra copy of
Jonah's log book when he went his wha-
ling voyage. Now, ladies and gentlemen
and learned pundits Of Hull, shall take a
handsaw and begin. When l saw, you
will see. This running saw, ladies and
gentlemen, is very delicate operation,
and l must request that no individual Of
this learned and polite audience will look
any way comical, or wink with his left
eye, during the process. 1t is quite as
critical as tickling trout. In old times
the trouts would stand a great deal oI
tickling; almost as muc! as they will
now, but not quite. Now, ladies and
gentlemen, and learned pundits, l have
sawed through the boards. That's all
you'll see for the first bargain. Just pay
two cents more, all around, take pinch
Of snuff, turn round three times, sit dowr
where you got up, and you shall see what
you shall see.
These words caused prodigious com
motion, and wound uis the curiosity Of al
the hearers to the highest pitch. Every
man put down his two cents, and stretch
ed out his eyes to see the herring. TIL,
learned pundits crowded around the. box
in breathless suspense. 1t is said ,ha
professor Guess-he.is, who had caugh
fish before, and knew how to find the lad,
in the lobster, disrcgarded the Corporal
injunction, gave sly wink with the corn
er Of his left eye, and peeped through th'
crack, while the corporal was running tn
saw upon his audience. What he spice
is nobody's business; but he in.tantl,
clapped his thumb to the side Of his nose
as II taking pinch Of snuff, and exclaimed
"ish. hoo !"
At length came the decisive moment
The box tlew open and the whole crow'
made tremendous rush upon it. Wha
do you think! There was no herrin:
there, but only solitary clam-shell
which was found to contain the following
inscription: