The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20

/ shook them at his companions, drew hi
sheath KNIT, sent the scales flying abou
him. and then dived into the cooks galley
Directly, tremendous sizzling was heart
and beautiful odor stole out and rested OIL
the slow-moving sea air. Robert Lee
Briggs hobbled about irritably, and said thai
| pompano weren't never no good, nohow, ant
wouldn't stick to the ribs. Constantine re.
appeared, bearing q large black pan, piled
| high with golden brown bodies more beauti.
full in death than in life He had rolled
his hsh in corn meal, and fried them In
| butter. to which had been added teaspoon
| ful OF paprika. Between the prominent
front teeth of each of his masterpieces he
had insertOFh stuffed olive, taken from his
private Btore, kept on the oriole for such
| emergencies. He brought also dry, crisp
toast. and sheaf OF two-pronged steel
| forks. A fork Is necessary in eating tho
sheepshead, because Just back of each eye
10 semi-circular bit of lily-white flesh,
minute. It Is true, but in exqusteness not
approached by anything else in salt water.
Men who do not live within sound OF the
seas oeaseless murmur who get their fish
IN Gathering, hurried restaurants, will order
sheepshead and eat II, and never know what
they have missed. There 10 something Of q
knack In extracting this crescent OF de-
light unbroken. and 1t Is done best with
steel fork of the sharp, two pronged kind.
Also II tastes better from that sort Of fork.
IL being past tho noon hour, Briggs said
that pompano were well enough for break
fast and sheep's-head for luncheon, but for
a real sure enough repast, something in
the nature Of dinner that would stick
to mans ribs, what a fellow wanted was
paked red snapper, and 1t was time to see
what brand Of fish was going. 'Lige Hawk
ms. who knew every foot Of the bay or
strait In which they we're anchored, told
them OF sandbank Ave feet under water,
situated half-mile further out from the
islands shore. They rowed to this and
stopped when they could touch bottom with
the short oars. The red-snapper is fshed
Tor with a hand-line. At the end OF this line
Is plummet Of lead. and two feet from the
lead large hook hangs by eight inches OF
guitar string or strong wire. There are three
or four Of these short hook bearing smells
attached to the main line at intervals of a
yard. When the lead rests on the bottom,
they hang straight down. The line is held
loosely In the fingers Of the right hand,
and the fisherman tells when he has q bite
by faint. spasmodic jerking. itful and
slight signal telegraphed to him along a
hundred feet Of cord. A strong, backward
Jerk Ia given and the fsh. II hooked. Is
hauled In hand-over-hand. The line is sent
head and letting go at the right instant.
A tyro In the boat, with friends, putting
all OF his muscle into the whirl, will catch
more men than fish 1t is told Of Robert
Lee Briggs that once. balancing himself
lightly In a cranky craft and causing the
lead to sing about him. he made his cast,
booked himself in the seat OF his trousers
and threw himself thirty feet out into the
bay, but he says 1t is a lie.
The red snappers bit strongly for Con-
stantine's party, the hooks being baited with
shrimp caught by Hawkins In a net, while
his friends were fishing for pompano in the
early morning The shrimp makes an at
tractive bait, and is durable. one Of them
sometimes serving for half-dozen fish
The red snapper is a large and strong
swimmer though not fast. 1t makes little
to capture and, indeed. has little
chance. being rushed in with a line half as
thick as mans little finger. The sport in
catching It comes from the singularly beau
tiful appearance of II when being jerked
snapper are of bright crimson, and, fash
Of blood. The color changes rapidly when
the solid glowing crimson is a dull splotchy
snappers Of exceptional size. and threw all |
others back. Constantine baked these three
fab whole. and Wien they were cut open
It was found he had filled their insides with |
a mixture OF tomatoes, onion slices chop |
ped olives. and corn bread. Also they were |
with crinkly Julienne potatoes |
and rich gravy, that tasted OF Madeira |
but was really favored with whiskey came |
with them. The party got back to Corpus |
Christi late in the afternoon of the third |
10 the minute the appearance of the Oriole |
noted the size Of the Jug.