The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-10

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Did you ever "striko'' a founder?
Probably net unless you have lived or
passed somo time on the coast Of tho
southern states.
Ono lovely August evening, Just be-
fore sunset, as stood on tho Sack porch
of our summer homo on tho coast of
South Carolina, l noticed that our boy
Bob, great big black cheerful looking
fellow about 10 years old, as lazy a ras-
cal and rs big thief as his whole race
could produce, seemed to DO worry busy
over boat at the little wharf only a
short distance from tho house, and rs
] stood there Watching him the mystery
was explained
Noticing that was watching him
with u good deal of interest, he came
up to tho stops, and removing the tat
tered rim OF what was once q felt hat
said:
Boss man, I'ze goin 'strikin' floun-
der tonight. Like to go long? It's easy
huff" he said. "Jest put on olo close
that don't matter bout victim, and I'll
call for you after supper.
After having finished supper and ell
joyed cigar and n stroll OH the beach,
watching tho bathers in the surf and
spying distant sail on tho horizon, l
proceeded to dress for the occasion. Talk
ing Bob's advice, L selected an old pair
of baseball shoes, an ancient pair of
cadet trousers that had stood the test OF
many dress parade-a relic of my
''rat" year-a cap Of the same descrip-
ton and n flannel shirt and q heavy
coat, for 1T was cool ON tho water after
sunset, even i'll midsummer, not forget
ting to take good supply of tobacco
and pipe TO keep off the gnats and
sand flies and plug of chewing tobac-
co for my companion. Negroes always
claim to be ont when n white man is
around
joined Bob Mt the back door, and we
made our way down to the landing.
Here we found large fiat bottomcd
scow, OH ono side of which was fixed an
old CRATE, i'll which fire was burning
1iercely, while ut the other end was Il
huge pile of dry oak, with plenty of fat
pine for kindling. Standing III the
boat was colorcd boy of about the same
size and blackness of my attendant,
whom Bob designated to me rs "nly
mammy's sister Sally's boy Rufc -
Greeting the grinning Rufus, who re-
piled by scraping the bottom of the boat
with one foot, while he touched where
his hat would have been had he worn
any, for no such article encountered his
woolly crown, we all made ourselves
comfortable, Bob standing at tho bow,
Rufus at the stern, with pole, while l
was invited to take the middle seat near
the fire and requested to keep tho boat
clear of water, which as soon as wo be-
gan our journey rushed through the
many crevices with astonishing rapid
ity.
The night was very dark, but lighted
by our fire we began to follow the shore,
and our flat bottom enabled us to keep
i'll very close. And now came to me
what was the strangest part of the pro-
ceeding Bob, standing, as / have said,
III the bow, armed with striking pole,
which is simply heavy rod about 8
feet long, with two pronged fork Mt
one end, kept his eyes fixed on the wa
ter which was brightly lit up for sew
cral feet in front of the boat while he
held the pole raised i'll his right hand.
All at once, and without word, he
suddenly thrust the pole into the waite,
ill front OF him, and with Il chucllc of
triumph dashed the pole into the bot
tom of the boat, and struggling and
splashing arCNnd was Il dark fat object
about II foot long, with two great gap
ing wounds made by the prongs of the
fork. The founder was exactly the col
or of the bottom of the water and very
flat, and how on earth anybody, even q
hungry negro, could distinguish it with
the boat going at Il pretty rapi.l rate
was something I could not mako out
and have never been able to fathom.
To be sure, the water was quite shall
low, ranging in depth from 1 to az
feet and the light from the fire was
very bright, but when you take into
consideration tho fact that the soil was
almost black and very muddy and soft,
and that the fish almost bury them
selves therein, it will be seen that it re-
quires no small amount of skill and
quickncss to detect tho founder with
the boat being rapidly polcd along
And 1 never saw Bob miss 1t would
be natural to suppose that the striker"
would occasionally mistake some object
| for Il founder i'll waters that tcemcd
| 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 'thc biggest fish 1 ever caught
was the one that got away" but, no, l
never knew Bob or any of tho other
many negroes whom L aftcrward saw
out Striking" TO be guilty of failure.
Sometimes tho founder would be pierced
| by only ono prOng inStcad Of two. and