Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-28

I
the big one that me an the old man
got one night, up on the meadow. above
Indian rips. | suspicion that was the
biggest pickrel ever ketched on the
Cobbossee They used to tell about
one that was ketched by man named
Spear, who used to live out there in
West Gardiner, just across the Buffer
Landing bridge. which measured AZ
inches, but that fish was nowhere with
ours.
| You see" he resumed, as he cut the
legs from the last frog and drove his
knife blade into the rail of the boat.
me an the old man had been out to
the OXbow dom few days fishin'.
and had gone into camp on the shore
of the meadow on our way home. The
water was high, and the meadow was
oyerf1owed, as it always is in the
spring of the year. After supper that
night, the old man says to me: An
drew. they ought to be some pick'rel out
there on the medder, an after it comes
dark Wen go out and see if we can
spear a few to take home to mother
| so about o'clock we put our jack
| light in the bow of the skiff and start
ed out the old man paddlin' and me in
| the bow with the spear. | was about Is
years old then, and small for nv age.
| but was pooty Witty, and my eye was
| as true as an arrer. AS we went along
| could see everything on the bottom as
plain as day, but there wasn't no fish,
leastwise It'll we got pooty near over
to the west shore, when see one.
Say, you won't believe me, but
when L first sot eyes on that fish, [
Thought he was log, but in a second
more | saw his fins fannin' the water,
an | knoWed what it was was
nooty excited, but kept my head and
motioned to the old man to hold her
steady, and as we came up to the fish
raised my spear, and getting a good
aim, druv it into him for all J. was
worth, jest behind the gills.
you never see such surprised fish
i'll your life, but he warr't the only one
who was surprised, for nobody ever
went out of a boat quicker'n I did. If
that fish spear had been made O. spruce
or maple it would have broken short
off. but it wasn't. 1t had a shaft Of
about foot of good hornbcam, and was
as tough as steel. That's why 1 went
overheard. | held onto the shaft, and
couldn't help it.
When that pickrel moved he moved
all at once, an you never see a freight
train go any faster. That spear was
sticking straight up in him an me Il
clnging to it for all / was with. 1t
didn't seem more'n a minute before he
had crossed the marsh. and then he
turned and went like mad for the main
stream. l did not dare to let go for fear
1 would drown, for it was so dark did
not know where | was.
You know a man will think pretty
quick if he is in the water and the
chances are 80 to l of his getting out
agin? WE'LL l was dom some thinkin'
about that time. 1 was wonderin' if [
should ever see home again, and if it
was a hard death to drown. and then
l tried to turn my head to see if | could
see the light in the boat, but the water
flew so [ couldn't see thing.
Il had swallowed about two quarts
of water, and was getting weak, when
all of a sudden we struck something,
and say you won't believe it, but we
stopped so quick that the spring in that
pole threw me plum onto the bank. [
was kinder stunned for a minute, but I
come to, ana was tickled to see the light
in the old mans boat not twenty yards
away. | hollered, and he came up to
where I was, and as the jack lighted up
the water. jest as true as | sit here,
there was that fish spear stickin'
straight up before us.
1.-The old man tried to pull it up but
ba on,Il5o't ca 10 oot mo into tha bOat
and we went out again to where the
spear was stickin' uD. What do you
think had happened? Well, right I'M
der the water, there was big stump,
and that pck'rel in trying to rid him
self of the spear by going between the
roots, had got stuck, and couldn't get
one way nor 'tother But that wasn't
what killed him. Me and the old man
worked ten minutes before we could
get him clear, and when at last we got
him into the boat we found that the
prongs of the spear had cut three
gashes in him over foot long, an had
lit'rally cut his heart out.
1--WE didn't have no yard stick to
measure him with. nor no scales to
weigh him, but you know a clapboard
is four foot long, and when we got
home next day, we laid him out on one,
and his tail Tapped over it jest three
inches. Yes, suspicion he was the big
gest pickrel ever taken out of the
Cobbossee.''
Then. as the old man sat in silence,
with his thoughts drifting back to the
scenes of his boyhood, the canoe sped
away in the summer twilight, and as it
disappeared behind q bend in the
stream. there came floating over the
water the words: Say, Peg. amt we
goin to have a little taste out of that
jug before SUPPER
After the first of May all the Union
fish markets in the city will be closed
all day on Sunday.