National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-08-13
THE INNocENTs ABROAD.
Incidents Of Their Adventurous Cruise About
the Canes

PoiSr LOOKOUT, Aug. 10, lsSi.--.In my letter
Of the 9th instant, from Fortress Monroe,
stated that we would leave the next day for
Cobb's island and so we did, but starting for
there aud getting there are two different
things. The start was all right, as we made
the run from our anchorage near the fort
to Thimblc light distance four miles, in
twcnty.one minutes and half; to the cnpes
twenty miles, In two hours and forty minutes
demonstrating the fact that the sailing quail
ties of the samuel Wood had not dccrloratcd
since last year in fact;'to use the words of
the chroniclcr of the last cruise, she walked
the water like thing Of life" Having sailed
ont to II point about ten miles beyond the
capes the wind suddenly hauled to the north.
cast, dead ahead, or as skipper Stoddard
and 'yo ancient mariner Pcrley nauti.
S CSly ,ce STTgd it, wa. right mp6s@! q9Ts tn
reach the island, unless we remained out
SIDE, beating about hcnying and pitching on
the briny deep waiting for favorable wind
which was neither pleasant nor desirable rs
Ing the fishes Of the sea by heaying every time
the vessel hcavcd. We accordingly put back
and II WIS like crawling backward, as the
wind died on us" (another nautical term of
the old tars of the club, and we rolled aud
pitched and pitched and rolled, aud dritted
hithcr and thithcr, with the sails tlapping
until y became truly monotonous, and various
were the ways and means suggested by the
ingenious aud always ready lnnoccnts, espe.
Ciully those who seemed to be particularly
anxious to reach Norfolk. There Is nothing
so extremely annoying to old sailors (of course
! mean ourselves, some OF us having sailed
before the mast forty years agol, while those
who have but recently adopted II seaiar.
lug life are lust as thoroughly
posted and, of course, just as easily annoyed,
at being caught In such prcdictamcnt as we
were. But all things must cnd audso did this
rs we managed to reach our starting point of
ine morningm9 p. IN. The, next morning,
Friday, the sth inst, council of the navy was
held to consider the propricty Of making an
other attempt TO reach Cobb's island, but Ow.
ing to the tact that II was so late in the cruise
ana that in the event OF our getting there, and
an uniavorablc wind might prevent us getting
ont so that We could not get home with In the
prescribed time, II was decided to gradually
work up the bay. So, at IL Il. M, we got un.
der way and anchored in the mouth of the
kappahannock river that same evening ut $40
O'Clock. Mobjack bay, where we anchored the
second night out, swarmcd with fish $50 to
speak, but our piscatorlal brigade for some I'M
knownreason had iaied to capture any, but here
In the RuppahannOck they were dead sure to
have good fishing, and SO eager was our "lone
fisherman that he commenced at midnight
and in n few minutes he landed four nice
specimens of the iinny tribe, which so OK
cited some Of the would-be slum-
berers that fishing tackle was in demand
and very soon there were some half dozen
lines overheard, with as many anxious hands
expecting great catch, but they fell short Of
tnSlI cApcctullOlls, US mary ulpDic uiu
they get.
The next morning, Saturday, we sailed up
the river about twenty miles and inspected Il
sloop being built for Capt. Monscll while
SeaEen Ball and ClCyg went on n foraging cX-
peditiOn. The former shot kingfshcr and
the latter captured spring chicken of very
adult age for which he claimed to have pnld
10 cents, but rs he was armed, this, likcall the
rest of his stories, was very much doubted.
Here the fishermen met with the first, and
thus fur only success. making the acquaint-
ance of one of the lords TO the manor born In
who, for slight remuneration, pilOted them
to the long.loOked.iOr fishing grounds. They
secured goOdly number of trout and taylor.
The only disappointed one of the party was
Uncle Billy Goods, Us nothing but shccphead
would satisfy him. and none were visible.
This part of the cruise was everything that
could be desired. Here we had our first fair
wind the best fish, and finest crabs. The
scenery was beautiful, and Judging from the
looks of the houses and farms the land must
be rich and fertile. To clubs contemplating Il
cruise down the Potomac and Chesapeake bay
would say by all means take in the Kappa
hammock river. This Sunday morning we
sailed away from the latter place out into the
buy, lacking backward and forward, doing
plenty of sailing, but making little progress.
When off Great Wicomico river the chef de
cuisine, Parker, quietly informed Capt. Mon
sell that owing to the party being strictly tenn
perate the supply of water was somewhat scant
so we ran in there, dinod in quiet and rcfilled
the water casks and after spending all the af.
ternoon in our usual pastime lacking reached
here at $50 p. nj. ~ =. n w. A. $.