The Yellowstone journal., 1894-10-13

YOu Would See Only hud-Ihe ENPers
Ixsherman Never Misses His Fish.
Did You ever strike founder?
Probably not unless you have lived or
nassed some time on the coast of the
sauthern states.
One lovely August evening, just be-
Seve sunset, as stood ON the back porch
Of our summer home on the coast of
South Carolina ! noticed that our boy
Bob, a great big black cheerful looking
fellow about 10 years old, as lazy ras-
cal and as big thief as his whole race
could produce, seemed to be very busy
over q boat at the little wharf only
short distance from the house, and as
] stood there watching him the mystery
was explained.
Noticing that I was watching him
up to the steps, and removing the tat
tered rim Of what was once felt hat
said:
Boss man, I'ze goin 'strikin f1oun-
Der tonight Like to go long? It's easy
'nuff, " he said Jest put on ole close
chat don't matter bout wettin and I'll
call for you after supper.
After having finished supper and en-
joyed cigar and stroll on the beach,
watching the bathers in the surf and
apying distant sail on the horizon, i
proceeded to dress for the occasion. TAX
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 relic of my
rat" year-a cap Of the same descrip-
ton and o flannel shirt and heavy
coat, for it was cool on the water after
sanset, even in midsummer, not forget
thg to take a good supply of tobacco
snd pipe TO keep off the gnats and
sand flies and a plug of chewing tobac-
- for my companion. Negroes always
claim to be out when a white man is
around
Joined Bob at he back door, and we
made our way down to the landing.
Here we found large fat bottomed
Sow, on one side of which was fixed an
ed CRATE, in which fife was burning
fercely, while at the other end was "a
huge pile of dry oak, with plenty of fat
pine for kindling. Standing in the
boat was colored boy of about the same
size and blackness of my attendant,
whom Bob designated to me a. my
mammy's sister Sally's boy Rufe. -
Greeting the grinning Rufus. who re-
elied by scraping the bottom of the boat
Nth one foot, while he touched where
ms hat would have been had he worn
any, for no such article encumbered his
Woolly crown, we all made ourselves
comfortable, Bob standing at tie bow,
Rufus at the stern, with pole, while l
suas invited TO take the middle seat near
hhe fire and requested to keep the boat
cLear of water, which as soon a. we be-
gan u1r journey rushed through the
many crevices with astonishing rapid
~
The night was very dark, but lighted
~ our fire we began TO follow the shore,
and our fiat bottom enabled US to keep
n very close. And now came to me
what was the strangeSt part Of the pro-
seeding. Bob. standing, a. / have said,
1n the bow, armed with L striking pole,
which is simply heavy rod about s
feet long, with two pronged fork at
one end, kept his eyes fixed on the wa
ker, which was brightly lit up for sew
eral feet in front of the boat, while he
held the pole raised in his right hand.
AL at once, and without a word, he
Suddenly thrust the pole into the water
In front of him, and with a chuckle Of
triumph dashed the pole into the bot
tom of the boat, and struggling and
eplashing around was dark fat object
-
ang wounds made by the prongs Of the
fork. The founder was exactly the col
or 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 l could not make out
and have never been able 10 fathom.
To be sure, the water was quite shall
low, ranging in depth from ! TO ga
feet, and tine light from the fire was
@y bright, but when you take into
consideration the fact that the soil was
slmost black and very muddy and soft,
and that the fish almost bury them
selves therein, it will be seen that it re-
auires no small amount Of skill and
quickness to detect the founder with
A1ae boat being rapidly poled along.
And / never saw Bob miss. 1t would
- natural to suppose that the striker"
Oould occasionally mistake 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 a known
fact that "the biggest fish ever caught
was the one that got away" bat, no, l
never knew Bob or any Of the other
many negroes whom / afterward saw
out striking" to be guilty of failure.
Sometimes the founder would be pierced
by only one prong instead of two, and
sometimes the wound would be very
near the side of the fish, but secure him
they always did.
That night we were out about two
hours and secured eight Of as fine fionn-
ders as ever saw, ranging in size from
10 to 10 inches, three of which fur
L.