Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-07-19
eFiSh Fry on the Mountains.

| All cOIAInAH1tleSi nave II nlef peculiar
methods of pleasure, recreation and social
ienjoyment. 1t is now my purpose to de-
scribe one which have never before heard
of, and.with which / was pleased, for be it
! known that / had handn in the matter
| from first to last.F z OF III
| That there might be no confusion and
-consequent failure in the forth coming
sport, acOmmittee wasformally appointed
to make the requisite preparations. Well
and faithfully did they discharge their
delicate duties. The old men and the old
women were seen, the young, men and the
young ladies were. waited upon, and the
whole neigh borhOod, for miles around, was
| duly sounded upon the proposed "fish
| fry,' and urged to take part in the eXer-
| cises, , This piece of inocentT Strategy had
the desredeffect, for the busy notes Of pre-
pardtiOn were heard ringing clear and
! loud along the tumblimg stream of the
French Broad, up the clear and beautiful
| waters of Big Creek and in the gOrges
and coves of the Smoky Mountains.
/ 8. On the appointed day, at the hour of
| seven O'clock, precisely, the anxious and
| ardent admirers of the anticipated pleas
ure, assembled from all directions properly
meunted for let it be bore on, mind that
there was no other way of passing over the
mountains and up the stream from whose
waters the fish were to be taken than on
| HOTSeDdCh.- LII. ILLS ISSIOu every
| travels in this way, and, consequently,
women and children are all, good riders. ,
| Your modest and well-behaved cores
pondent, more from accidenty than any
thing else took his position in front of
! the procession, and was the first to enter
the widest and the most picturesque. re-
lgiOn / have Hever beheld The narrow
pass-way along the borders of Big Creek.
the steep ascents and descents, the over
| 10, Ill :
spruce trees, the ivy, the laurel and the
| hemlock, the deep ravines and the inn
mense rock which were imbeded in the
difficult fords Of the creek, was romantic
enough, / am sure, to faScinate the most
stupid in the crowd.
Our destination was far UP into the
| bosom of the Smoky Mountains, into their
most dismal and forbidding retreats, where
| the foot of man but seldom treads and
where7the stealthy rattle-snake makes his
| home We wanted to reach the very
source of Big Creek, where its pellucid
waters burst forth, fresh, clear and cold,
from the bowels of the mountains, and
wherewe could engage in that eXhilirating
amusement for which we had planned the
exhibition and for which we had toiled so
/ asidiously, the hooking of trout. yi-a
At about the, hour Of ten the joyous
! thropg, still eXhilirated with the scenes
through which they had just passed. ar
rived safely. Then the dismounting took
place. The faithful horses were s.hitchedn
among the rock and laurel, and the ladies
adjusted their toilets as wellas they could
preparatory to the scenes which were soon
to follow. And, by, the way j have never
seen a more interesting class of young Ia
dies in any country and, as to the young
| men, L have never seen any more gallant
and respectful. f 20 rlait
| Now commenced the long 10oked-fOF
| spOrt-the catching of the mountain trout
This is rare fish. 1t is found in the coil
| streams that break out of our mountains.
1t is full of red spots, bites instantly, and
| having no bones, it is decidedly the finest
| fish in all our waters. With hook and
line baited with young wasps, we made
our way through the dense laurel and
| ivy, to the bank of the stream. [ will not
attempt to describe the intense excitement
which ensued when, moment after mo-
ment, the unsuspecting trout were seen
dangling from a hundred hooks and thrown
| to the rear. tV ..H8aa ~
While the angling was going on there
We're other preparations progressing, look
| ing to grand climax of the whole affair.
Coffee-pots, frying pans, cups &c, had been
| brought along. The first had to be fryed
on the spot, taken fresh and pure from the
water. A rousing fire was soon 'struck
up,n and rough, rustic table was improv-
ised by laying down logs byS The side Of
each other and ajusting seats with the same
material. @fEA "a - - - -F@H
Prominent among the cooks was an in
1 teIligent and gentlemanly lawyer of my
acquaintance, He has evidently seen SER
vice before. He was assigned specially to
/ the department of making coffee, and, ibut
! for the fact that he was, seen string the
coffee with his alnsaaactifed finger, could
r,- sTTTEJgi1 . -