Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-09-14
STRIKING FOUNDERS.
SPORT OF THE NEGROES OF
THE SOUTHERN COAST.
The Darkey Boatman Can Hit n FIoun-
der with His Spear Where You Would
Soc Only Mud-The Expert Fisherman
Never Misses His Fish.

Did you ever strike a hounderg
Probably not. unless you have lived
or passed some time on the coast of
the Southern states.
One lovely August evening. just
before sunset, as stood on the back
porch of our summer home on the
coast of South Carolina, l noticed
that our boy Bob seemed 20 be very
busy over u boat at the little wharf
only IA short distance from the house
and as ] stood there watching him
the mystery was explained.
Noticing that | was watching him
with IA good deal OF interest, he
came up TO the steps and. removing
the tattcred rim OF what was once q
felt hat. said
"Boss. rze goin' 'strikin" founder
tonight. Like to 60 long?"
After having finished supper and
enjoyed a cigar and stroll on
the beach, watching the bathers in
the surf and spying a distant sail on
the horizon, | proceeded TO dress for
the occasion. Taking Bob's advice,
/ selected an old pair of base ball
shoes. an ancient pair Of cadet trous
ers that had stood the test of many
) dress parade "a -elic of my frat"
, year), a cap OF the same description
and flannel SHIRT and heavy coat.
for it was cool on the water after
sunset, even in midsummer, not for
getting TO take good supply of to-
bacco and "a pipe TO keep off the
| gnats and sand flies, and u plug OF
chewing tobacco for my companion.
/ joined Bob at the back door. and
we made our way down TO the land
ing. Here We found a large fiat
| bottomed scow, on one side of which
was fixed an Old CRATE. in which u
| fire was burning fiercely, while at
the other end was huge pills of
dry oak with plenty of fat pine for
kindling. Standing in the boat was
n colored boy of about the same size
and blackness of my attendant. whom
Bob designated to me as my mann
my's sister Sally's boy Rufe. Bob
| stood at the bow. Rufus at the
stern with pole, while | was in
vited to take the middle seat near
| the fire and requested to keep the
| boat clear of water. which as soon as
We began our journey rushed through
the many crevices with astonishing
rapidity.
The night was very dark, but
| lighted by our fire we began TO fol-
low the shore aud our 9at bottom
enabled us to keep in very close,
says Philadelphia Times writer
! And now came to me what was the
strangest part Of the proceeding.
Bob. standing as ! have said, in the
bow, armed with a striking pole.
which is simply heavy roI about
! eight feet long, with two-prOnged
fork at one end, kept his eyes fixed
on the water. which was brightly lit
up Tor several feet in front OF the
boat, while he held the pole raised
in his right hand. All at once, and
without word, he suddenly
/ thrust the pole into the water in
front of him and with q
chuckle of triumph, dashed the pole
into the bottom of the boat, and strug-
Cling and splashing around was g
dark. hat object about foot long,
with two great gaping wounds made
By the prongs of the fork. The
founder was exactly the color OF the
bottom of the water and very fat,
and how on earth anybody. even a
hungry negro, could distinguish it
with the boat going at pretty rapid
rate was something | could not make
out and have never been able TO
fathom.
TO be sure the water was quite
shallow, ranging in depth from one
to two and a half feet, and the light
from the fire was very bright, but
when You take into consideration
the fact that the soil was almost
black aud very muddy and soft and
that the fish almost bury themselves
therein, it Will be seen that it re-
quires no small amount of skill and
quickness to detect the founder
with the boat being rapidly poled
along.
And / never say Bob miss. I.
would be natural to suppose that the
"striker' would occasionally mis-
take some object for founder in
waters that teemed with all kinds of
fish, or that sometimes he would fail
to secure the fish, even if he struck
correctly, for it is known fact that
"the biggest fish l ever caught was
the one that got away" no. never
knew Bob or any OF the other many
negroes whom ! afterwards saw out
striking" to be guilty OF failure.
Sometimes the flounder would be
pierced by only one prong instead of
two, and sometimes the wound
be very near the side OF the fish, but
secure him they always did.
The truth is that the negroes, aud
occasionally some of the poor white
trash, who live on or near the coast
in that part of the state, sometimes
depend very largely upon the sea
for their support, especially when
the crops have been a failure. and a
pretty good living they make out OF
it, fish OF all xmas in abundance.
oysters and clans to be Lad for the