The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-08-11
sUPERsTITIoUs FISHERMEN.

cussing cup of strong, black coffee in an eating saloon on South street. He was a typical fisherman. He had large, clear, blue eyes, bushy head of hair and a hand as hard as marlin spike. H stoutly denied that fisher men were expectations, and main- tained that their reasonings were founded on fact and not fiction. No book for him. In spite of his denial, however, fishermen are probably the most superstitious class of people on earth.
 "Just tell me something about fisherman's life and his uperstitions," asked the reporter of the veteran.
 "Fishermen don't have any super stitions, sir, and if they have they are far below those that you land lu bbers are prey to-"
 "You just now mentioned one; 'wel Friday, wet Sunday"
 "That's no superstition; that's fact, and one you can't alter. I've grown old in the business, and as long as l can remember 1 have never seen a wet Friday that was not followed by a wet Sunday"
 "Don't you think it superstitious not to go fishing on Friday? Why should you select that as being an unlucky day?"
 "No, don't. Just so long as fish have lived in the water and men have taken them out, Friday has been an unlucky day for our trade. You just try it and you'll find that Pm right" "Why is it that you never allow whistling on board fishing boat?"
 "Because, me boy, it's calling on Old Nick to make his appearance and he always brings wind with him."
 "Fishermen don't like to begin any undertaking on Monday. What is the reason of that superstition?"
 "I told you a minute ago that it was not superstition. The meanil g of it is, bad Monday, bad week."
 "Now, if one of your shipmates should smash looking glass on board ship, you give up all hope of getting good haul"
 "Yes, sir; never saw it fail yet, and l have seen a good many broken in my time, and just as sure as it oc- cured gale came on and blew great guns, and we were compelled to run for shelter. If that failed then we caught no fish. Pve known men that had 10 go out of the business because they were always smashing things, ,and no one would sail with them. l dare say you would laugh at me if l told you that got good drubbing from a skipper under whom I once sailed because I showed the dory off from the side of the ship with her head point ing to the sum-"
 "What did that signify?"
 "It means simply defying the ele- ments, and whenever you do that take my word that nothing good comes from it."
 ''How is it that you are so certain o1 your storm prediction?"
 "Oh, that is simple. Year in anG year out we study the signs of tho heavens, which are very accurate Certain stars, bright or dull, mear certain things. The wind from 6 given certain quarter in certain month is almost sure to bring stormy fair, dry or wet weather, as the cast may be. The moon gives us a good deal of information; if she is on hel back then look out for storm if hel horns are well pointed then you may expect cool or cold weather, according to the season of the year. If there il large, hazy circle around the moon then you may look out for a goot rain storm or steady rainfall. Thel the Big and Little Bears give us som, useful knowledge, according to tn, different positions they assume"
 "When going on fishing trip. mean, of course, deep sea fishing how is it that you can tell exactly where to set your net or to cast you lines?"
 "That's as easy as smoking you pipe. You see rock or bank i situated exactly by the compass in certain bearing of locality. We'll, W, can tell just as we'll without 6 com pass, and it is very simple. Suppos the fishing ground is ten, twenty O thirty miles from the land. We sai in the direction of it until we get tw, headlands in one as 1t were. Then VI can tell to a dot how far we are out and consequently we know where tn fishing bank is, but we sail on unti one of the headlands or banks are visi ble; that gives us so many miles, jus exactly as ii you measured 1t with tape, 30 that we know where we are A high church steeple, 8 lighthouse O land bluff, all tend to show the ac customed eye of the fisherman whei he isH
 AThsil,it isn't true that you can tel by the water?s
 sIn some cases we can, but asa gen