The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-06-08
a PROVIDENTIAL COLLISION

I, a PKUHlllENIlAL5 CULLlSlVN
X We'll, boys, don't get into any mis-
chief, and don't tumble into the sea.
Remember that there is no one to pull
you out.
But we can fish, can't we?D asked
Johnny.
''Oh, yes, fish as much as you like, but
don't open the water-gate and don't
climb up on the railing. Goodbye.
{ will be back by the time father comes
home from the city,
Mother kissed us and stepped into the
caique, which was dancing on the
sparkling water by the garden gate.
1t was at our pleasant home on the
Bosphorus, near Constantinople.
The sturdy. Turkish boatman gently
pushed off, and took a stroke or two.
Then he naused to grease his oars and
to take off his jacket before the long
pull up the Bosphorus. 81
There, now lock the gate" said
mother, land don't open it until come
back. And you must not open the
street door for any one whom you do
not know well: Take care Of the house
like little man, Willie. Good-bye!"
We ran into the parlor to watch the
boat from the windows. Our house was
built directly on the waters edge, and
projected beyond the garden, the heavy
stone blocks Of the foundation making
"a sort Of breakwater to protect the
landing from the force Of the current.
You can hardly imagine the delight
to Johnny and myself Of living in such
house on the beautiful blue Bos-
phorus.
AS mothers caique became small in
the distance, we found plenty Of other
things to draw our attention. Steamers
went rushing by on their way to OF
from the harbor Of Constantinople,
which lay in the warm haze only three
or four miles away on our left. {,
Directly opposite was the mosque
and village Of Ortakeny, at the foot
Of the high hills. Although it was
more than a mile across the Bosphorus,
we could hear the shouts of the fish
ermen as they hauled in their nets on
the quay in front Of the mosque. Now
and then peddler's boat passed us,
the man bawling the praises of his
dress goods and laces, or his vegetables,
houses bordering the stream. -
On our right the blue water, glitter
ling in the sunlight and dotted with all
kinds of craft, stretched away for miles,
until the high hills curved westward
tif,ll sweep Of quiet water seem land
locked lake. f~.5
The water was about fifteen feet
deep where it gently swashed against
the stone wall under the parlor win
dows; and when, as on that day, the
current did not whirl by too fiercely,
we could catch as many gobies as we
liked by dropping lines from the WIN
dow n. .,..
But on that day I was minded to try
for greater fish, and so we went out
into the garden. -. e. -..u
The garden lay between the house
and a high, Uncovered stone wall,
which was intended as a protection
against fire, and which rose above the
roof of the next house. It was separ-
ated from the street by another stone
wall, covered on the inner side by
climbing roses. 1t was thus screened
from view as completely as our own
household was isolated, by reason Of
our being foreigners, from the social life
of our neighbors.
At the other end an iron railing stood
between the garden and the water.
/ Here, standing on the benches inside
of the railing, Johnny could let down
his line for the smaller fishes which
played about the crevices Of the sea
wall, while trolled for pelamids.
The leaden fish at the end Of my line
had q bit of feather in it's middle and
"a hook in it's tail. After scraping the
lead until it was bright enough to look
somewhat like a silver fish, I whirled
it round my head, and then let it fly
out to sea as far as it would go. After
1T had fallen with a sharp plunge into
the water, I had to pull in the line as
fast as possible.
The pelamid, which is something like
the blue fish in it's appearance and
habits, is expected to take 8 sudden
liking for this sparkling bit Of lead
as it darts through the water, and to
swallow it without stopping to test its
alavor
Johnny had caught several gobies
before I received the least encourage
unent in my own sport. Then suddenly
I thought I had caught whale. There
was tug that almost cut my fingers,
and made me think that my hook had
been fouled on a rock; but no rocks
came within fifty feet of the surface
out where my hook was, and moreover
the line was not solidly anchored. It
came in slowly when pulled.
But I felt that it might be pulled
out Of my hands at any moment, SC
called to Johnny to drop his line and
come and help me. s.gg.. -..ss:s 49,
We were making slow work of it
losing a little ground and then gaining
little as the big fish, in his efforts
to be rid Of his troublesome mouth
full, made fierce plunges and long
dashes, now up stream and now down
In the midst Of all our anxiety we
heard loud knocking at the street
door at the other end Of the garden
Nothing could be done now but to lei
Johnny 90 to the latticed grating II
the wall and see who was there. Whe1
he called out that it was Yanko, a mar
who had been our cook until within
two or three weeks, I told Johnny tt
get him to come and help me land my
fish.