The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-02-05
Alright With a Horse Mackerel.
BY John X. Cotton.


A fellow named "Jooty" Perkins was
speaking. He stood IN the centre Of
crowd of fellow sailors and wharf
hands on T Wharf, with his foot on a
fish larger than himself-a horse
mackerel, weighing over three hum
dred pounds.
'We were running across the bay
for market last night when we came
on mackerel schooling about twenty
miles this side of Cape Cod. AS there
was moon, the cap'n said, "Well out
with the drift nets, boys, and give 'em
try that way till daylight
You can get the crafty mackerel
to. rJn into drift net only on moon
light night, because ON dark nights the
water fires and they see the nets,
and shy away from them.
MY watch came between one and
two o'clock. When l turned out
found that the fish hadn't been mesh
ing fast, and as my watch mate was
very contented in his bunk, dropped
into the dory and started off under
running the nets alone.
I'VE had fifty nets set, and they
strung Off about mile and half
astern, with the corks trailing along
on the water like sea serpent
"A mackerel net is about twenty
fathoms long and four deep. and is
made of fine, clinging cotton Irvine. 1t
hangs down in the water from the
head rope, this is strung with corks
and floats on the surface Along the
BUTTON, on the foot rope, it is weight
ed with leads to keep it hanging
straight down. The nets are tied to-
gether end to end in string, and
one end of the whole is made fast to
the vessel
81 pulled the dory in under the
nets, raised them up out of the water,
spread them out across the gunwales,
and picking out the scattering fish
let the nets drop back overheard be-
hind me, all set. as I drew out the
string. Fishermen call this under
running, because you raise the nets
out of the water and run the dory
along broadside-to and under them as
you work along.
Il had picked up fair dory load of
fish when l got out so that could see
the key buoy showing in the moon
light at the far end of the nets. What
with the water coming aboard with
the nets, and with the increasing
weight of the fish, | had to be care
full how l shifted about to keep from
falling out
Il stopped moment to rest, and
was trying to see the shadow of the
vessel off behind me, when l heard a
dip ahead of me, not two net lengths
away.
1t was loud flip. and while sat
there waiting for another, | felt a tug
on the head rope of the net was
holding in my hands.
Il pulled out from under the nets,
and taking the head rope in my hands
| began to draw the dory along the
corks toward the sound. Some big
fsh's tall was slapping the water like
a board.
las | drew nearer I could see the
fellow come up ON top of the water
now and then, with the net across his
nose. Then he'd start down, slashing
his big tail behind him. But he could
not pull the corks under very far.
Il had my mind made up that had
a shark to deal with. Reaching over,
| took big bait knife sticking in the
rising and fastened it to the butt end
of the oar. Pulling up to where the
fish had gone down, l stood up and
waited for him to rise again. I hoped
for chance to thrust him in the
napes-the tender part under the
throat. But the minute the big fell
lows tail came up In front of me I
saw he was no shark.
Il stood there watching him slat and
thrash for a minute or two. until final
ly he made a clean breach up from
the water. l was never so surprised
in all my life. I saw perfect mack
erel as plain as day, but he looked al
most as big as my dory.
II watched and wondered what was
best to do. In fact. l was wondering
Just what he was. had never seen a