Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-30
ON THE CHESAPEAKE.

mosquito, who met her death while engaged in
making observahons.)
1t was on the afternoon of Wednes-
day. the first day of August according
to the Roman calendar, or as we OF the
mosquito race say, in the light of the
blood moon, / was resting gu the main
spars of the good ship Mary Chaplin,
CAPT. George Daniel, as fine man as
ever have sailed with-I was resting
l say, for the labors of the coming
night, when he quiet was broken by
the arrivals of visitors TO the vessel.
We were then lying at the wharf at
Crisfield, Nd. and had looked for
ward to convenient access to the town.
That being 30, it can we'll be imagined
that took deep interest in the in
truders on my peace and quiet and that
made quiet resolve to give them
lung-to- aforementioned and sworn -anout
reception. There were four of them.
Three of them seemed to be OF about
the same age; and somewhat older than
the fourth, who still bore the freshness
of hopeful youth. Two of the four had
the intellectual and plain LOOK that
usually accompanies those who wear
spectacles. 1t did not take me long to
learn their pot names, MS the white
folks say: the younger vas called 10;
one of the intellectuals was HeIbie, the
other Uncle, and the fourth member of
the crowd was Cristieldian addressed
as Commodore. They threw their bag
gage aboard the boat and made tour
of the vessel in about four minutes.
They bad>not been in the hold long
when shouts of laughter came up to me
aud l sailed to convenient position
to hear the fun. Uncle, 1t seems, had
suggested that the crowd go upstairs
and that unnautioal term had paralyzed
the rest 1t wasn't long after that
when l heard Uncle speak of goirg
downstairs, which may term the
diverse Of his earlier mistake. Well,
the others did not let him forget it, for
later l heard it told so times If heard
it once, but Uncle always took his
medicine.
AS feared, these four were the fore
runners of party who had secured the
Mary Chaplin for cruise down the
Chesapeake Bay, and decided that !
must bid farewell to Crisfield, the town
Of my birth aud many fond memories.
Happily for me, however, they we're
delayed in one way and another until
Saturday, SO that I was able to keep in
touch with my old stamping grounds,
ns horse would say. In addition 10
those / have mentioned. several others
Joined the party, namely, one they
called Bert, New Yorker, who had
trick of talking In a converted German
tongue, and Tip, lad who proved the
most active member of the crowd In his
zeal to run errands, and a boy, whose
name / did not catch, he was on board
such short time. He had business
back at Rehobolh and did not tarry on
the vessel long. Then there was another
member of the party called the Poet,
but he arrived so much later, that I'll
put off reference to him until later
stage of the narrative.
As it may be Of interest to my rela-
tives of the genus Culex, I'll try to
/ give some account Of life as seen by me
anung this party IN the week following
tbs date have first mentioned.
They had scarcely got aboard the
Mary Chaplin, when the Commodore
announced that an invitation had been
received to go on sailing party the
same evening, and after supper, it was
amazing to see the care with which
they prepared their toilet. L COCA
sionally scared around their heads and
found that my war song excited them
very much, so L kept out of range BY
and by, bateau came along side and
they were taken Oh board. 1t appeared
to be large and jolly party, but did
not Join them, preferring the quieter
quarters on the Mary Chaplin to the
precarious perch of a single sticker. l
was awake when they returned, how
ever, and they ustlhave enjoyed it for
they did everlastingly talk of the
pretty girls they met. also gathered
that they had had some rough weather
while outside the lighthouse and that
some of them breathed much freer when
they had reached the wharf
The men soon tumbled into their
kberths whiuh they had arranged in the
hold, each having his own mattress and
blanket. ! knew they must be tired
and bothered them not that whole
night.
| am writing now of Thursday.
Bright and early the schooner weighed
| anchor and sailed out upon Great Rock
in Tangier Sound to fish. Then 1
learned that 10 and Bert were really
the fishermen; that Herbie preferred
long silenoes that Uncle was prone to
read rather than fish and that the Com
modore was largely engaged in writing
letters to be mailed at the next stopping
place. With all this diversion of in
terest, they nevertheless enjoyed the
trip, casohing few fish, and many
crabs, and with their dredge, few
dozen oysters.
OF course, any one knows that this
is not month for oysters, and dredg-
ing is prevented by stringent laws, but
the Commodore declared that they had
a right to catch oystels for their own
use. They we're drawing in the dredge
once in the course of the afternoon,
when Capt. George noticed that
| polioeboat which had been anchored
few miles away was getting under way.
Visions of a pursuit and capture at
once doomed up before the captain. He
called the Commodore's attention to
the poiiceboat and suggested that the
Mary Chaplin better make tracks out of
| there.
"Oh, that's all right" said the Com
modore, that's the Virginia police
boat, and we are ON the Maryland side
of the line I'll bet he'd have time
taking this crowd, with our gun and
| two revolvers on board"
All the party were watching the
activities on the po]ieebuat by this
time and thought could detect one
or two of the meE getting raie at the
| thought of a possible chase and arrest.
| | heard Uncle remark to Commodore
| that this incident might match one he
| had mentioned in a novelette, he had
written concerning the Chesapeake,
wherein whole load OF oyster men had
been captured. Capt. George mean
while had put up his topsail and pro-
posed to give the policeboat good run
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