Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-09-10
SINGLE COPY FIvEOENmn
NUMBER 3.


Aoucn ner OH came out OF tne
gloom. a snap, a blaze, and the dark
waters Of the st. Lawrence, and the Mar
rows in particular. were lighted up with
lurid fame that brought the boat aud
oarsmen out in strong relief, says
Thousand Islands letter TO the PhiIa-
delphia Times In the bow stood al
amateur harpooner and in the stern sat
an old hand, waiting patiently to sec
the other either fall overheard or spear
alog. Out from the bow extended an
iron arrangement rugged like basket,
in which burned brightly half dozen
pine knots, whose object was to attract
tho Iuckless bass and other fry that were
known to bein the vicinity.
"You don't want to look right under
the fire." said the man in the stern.
ssYou see it casts light around for if
teen feet or more and attracts fish from
twice that distance, and your best hold
is to keep your eye on the water about
six feet from the bow"
The spearman did SO, and az the FIRE
in the brazier blazed up brightly the
scene was novel and attractive. The
light seemed to penetrate about the feet
and illumined the rich green plates that
formed the submarine garden, bringing
them out in strong contrast against the
darker bottom. Here were long, deli
cate vines of richest green, that folded
and unfolded lazily in the current, wind
ing and coiling like so many snakes. Be
meath them darted schools of striped and
yellow perch, turning upward in their
fight to gaze in wonderment at the
strange light-the bed of the river was
carpeted with soft mat of green that
seemed to scintillate and fash back the
vivid CLEANS from above. Every step
seemed to change the scene as the boat
drifted slowly along. Great logs ap-
peared here and there like spectres with
their gray apparel and now branching
trees that had washed down the stream
perhaps from far above.
SCOT himln This exclamation was
caused by sudden plunge on the part
Of the bowman and an accompanying
splash. While the man had been talking
a large fish had darted into the blaze and
for moment turned its side upward, So
that it flashed golden CLEAN. a sec
ond more and it would have darted off,
but the cruel steel barbs had plunged
into it and torn it ruthlessly from the
water and landed it, three-pound bass,
struggling in the boat spearing at
night, though seemingly rather cruel
----tl4r9 >f 4alincr fah ia -av4-ar1aaIu Az
tractive, as it requires skill, a sharp eye
and true hand to direct the spear. Az
the boat moved along near the rocky
shores, amid the savage mosquitoes, the
fish became more and more plentiful
Now score Of large, red-eyed rock k-bass
were in the glare, looking upward as if
ready to dart Or rise at the dropping en-
bers. Here large-scaled club flashed
its silvery scales in the light and then
darted swiftly away into the darkness,
followed by the prongs Of the grains.
Catdshes were equally curious, darting
up into the very midst Of the glare and
only moving away when touched BY the
spear.
As the boat drifted over clear shady
spot well off shore long black object
suddenly became illuminated, and in an
other moment it moved; then as it felt
the grains, rose clear Of the surface in
wild bound and darted away.
'Look outm shouted the man in the
stern, FOR you'll have us over. You
must have muskallonge there" The
great fish was rushing round and round
the boat in circles and soon involved the
rope and boat in hopeless confusion and
thus captured itself The taking-in part
however, involved a renewal OF the strup-
gle. The fish beat the frail boat terrific
blows with its head and tail, almost
threatening to break its timbers, but f.
nallv it was grasped and hauled in, the
rough hide or skin telling the story. It
was gigantic sturgeon. a few applica-
tions of the patent head-acher stopped
its foundering, ard the boat drifted
quietly down stream.