Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1890-12-25
/. GRAYs HARBoR CATCH.
LOUISE HERRIcK WALL.

I'm Northwest Magazine for December.)
Captian Gus, owner of the fishing boat,
lad ordered the weather for us, as he told
q with a Swedish accent and a wave OF
lis oar-calloused hand, and he was evil
emily born to command. Grays Harbor
Nv smiling in a broad food of afternoon
klnshine as we stepped into his trim fish
10 boat. She was a comfortable little
raft with seven feet of beam to offset her
Eenty -four feet of length. Over our
leads swayed slackly weather beaten
hil and wholesome sea-weedy smell
bse from the mass of dry fishing seine as
he settled ourselves comfortably upon it
the stern of the boat, while the two
,hermen bent to the oars. They rowed
the fashion of the country, one standing
md pushing ON his oars while the other,
Gated in the boat, faced him and pulled
b the ordinary way.
We passed under the lee OF a smartly
bainted lumber schooner lying anchored
Il the mouth of the river, bathed in the
Sundav calm, and gay with weeks wash
Ii periodically colored fiannels, red,
White and blue, streaming in inflated
earicature from the deck. AS we passed
rom the shelter OF the wharves and larger
raft the west wind took us fairly and oars
we're shipped. We scudied across the
rav-blue water toward the encircling
ling of darker toned trees and then a sec
bnd tack and we were following the path
BIZ gold laid down by the setting sun. The
water broke in crisp foam about our bow
and the boat responded to her tiller like
horz2 TO us cub.
It was lust one Of those sparkling blowy
afternoons when it is delight to be alive.
and even the birds OF the air and fish Of
the sea are infested with gayety. Flocks
|of gulls were skating the "outer edge"
above us, flashing first white, as the sun
3caught them, then silhouetted black.
ACROSS their play ground sailed labori-
4ous v shaped flock of shags following
their single leader in dogged business
Hike way, going up the river to roost on
their accustomed perch with no time for
[foolishness. Every little while the silver
flash of jumping fish instantly followed
|by the splash of his return stimulated the
gulls to lower their sweeps. Every breath
ling creature lived more wildly in such
air and sunshine, with just tang OF cool
mess in the wind to sting fresh color into
the face. Only the sand pipers on the
distant mud fats stood in depressed lows
and showed no signs Of accelerated pulse.
One of the best things about being on
the water in an sepen boat is that your
| eyes and thoughts are forced upward.
There is no escape for them in the
earthly Businesses of familiar shop win
dows and more familiar real estate offices.
Driven from earth and soon driven by
the binding glare Of it from the flashing
water the eyes find in the sky pleasant
refuge. There over the strong blue and
from the horizon half way to the zenith
lie piles and piles OF clouds that seem
substantial enough to support man on
their white cushions. And still above lie
float the gulls shifting into endless CON-
binations; as they wheel and turn about
one black leg is thrust out, rudder-wise,
looking from beneath like a broken pinlon
against the upper blue. The pique and
curiosity so many years old, as to how
they do it wakes again drowsily in watch
ing those long effortless flights.
We had sailed quite close into shore
when on all sides Of the boat suddenly
sprang up hundreds Of tiny jets and the
water looked as if struck by shower Of
bullets.
''There's sight for ye," said Captain
Gus with animation. eve are in school
Of American sardines." The water fairly
danced with their jumping; our center
board must have divided their party.
Coming so close into shore the smoke
that we had observed rising from many
clearings on the hills reached us, we
noticed that the wind was drifting il
backward and that the towns behind us
were yelled from sight while the atmos-
phere before us was of peculiarly serene
clearness, but as the sun dropped lower
the west wind declined with it and the
land breeze from up the river began te
assert itself more persistently. Then be.
gan ghostly conflict between the oppos-
ing forces of the two winds, and the dis
tinct edge of the smoke veil became torn
and jagged as it advanced then receded
to mark the advantage of one or the other.
1t was matter of some practical interest
to us to know which should prevail, fol
unless the land-breeze was outblown we
we would have to creep home with oppos-
ing wind and tide, and probably have to
make night Of it.
Our attention was called from such re-
mote contingencies by Captain Gus call
ing halt and saying he should try his
luck here. The sail was furled and drip.
ping rudder lifted in and as soon as we