The Republican journal., 1905-02-09
The Fishing Trip Of
Uncle Siah.

had all their lives fished and farmed on
the shores of Casco bay, whenever they
met would tell some yarn about how
they used to get hauls of fish in their
younger days, and would say, ''Let us
take a trip outside; we can get enough
fish perhaps for winter, and you know
they work in pretty well when the
snOwstorms are bowling about the
door and you can't buy fish unless
you pay almost its weight in money"
"Why, when l was young" said
Uncle Siah, 81 have sold bake and had
dock for half cent pound, cod for
one to one and a half cents,-goOd ones
too. Now pay two to three cents at
Cundy's Harbor and they look old.
And Holsters, once plenty at two or
three cents, are now twenty or more.
1t does beat all. Why, l have known
fifteen count Holsters to be taken from
one trap; now ten counts to fifty traps
is doing as well as the average. If our
folks coullhave gotten the prices for
now, everybody would have gone fish
ing and have been independent. Now
its costly business to keep up with the
times. Why it costs more for gear on
one trip than a year in the old hand
line style.
Lets go next week. What do you
say? We can get little bait. l know
just where to go, and drop my hook
right into the fishes MOUTHS
ooh! yes, you know a lot. l don't
believe you can find the grounds, much
more fish,"
On the afternoon of the second day
Uncle Siah's boy, towhead as he was
called, was seen coming up the road.
He said: "Uncle John, dad wants to
know if you will 60 fishing tomorrow"
Uncle John said: Yes, | will go
after bait this afternoon. We shall
want a hundred porgies."
That was the bait used in those days.
They were very plentiful, and in one
night enough were secured for one
nights fishing by the handline method.
By 8 a. m. Uncle Siah arrived
with his old fishing boat, something
like the Hampton fishing boat of the
present day, and with a fair wind they
made grand progress down the river,
and in an hours time were passing
Cundy's Harbor.
at beats all" said Uncle Siah, chow
things have changed since l was boy.
Why these Lodges are not more than
two-thirds as large as they were fifty
years ago, or at least it looks so to my
old eyes
Guess that fellow is pulling traps
over there round the Black Sisters" as
two breaking lodges were called.
"GueSs We will run over that way;
perhaps he will give us a few short
ones, but 'spose they have to be very
shy, for they say the wardens are as
, thick as flies"
AS Uncle Siah ran his boat alongside,
the fisherman seemed nearly frightened
to death and said, "Mr Warden, you're
OH fools errand this time, for |
haven't burned one this morning"
Uncle John spoke up and said, Guess
you take us for wardens, don't you?"
~ es,' he said, "aint you?" I'm aW-
full glad you're not, for my old woman
is sick and | told her this morning
would save my shorts for her to buy
medicine"
Have you ever been caught by the
wardens?" asked Siah.
Eyes, once; had fifty cost me fifty
dollars: had to sell my COW and it come
awful hard to pay when | was trying to
earn living"
On asking who they feared most he
said ooh, that Snow fellow from
Brunswick. You can buy off some of
, them, but he's colder. than his name. |
, tried him once. l told my old woman
to bile half a dozen of the best Holsters
: | had, and | had a sample bottle of the
elixir of life, Wasn't that good, though.
! I started early in the morning all alone.
as usual.
II Lad put in a false bottom in one
OF my kids, so it would hold nigh forty
shorts, and had secured nearly that
number when, on looking toward Gun
dy's Point, | saw Snow coming.
knew his boat and ! felt kind of nerv-
GUS like, and my heart beat like the
pendulum OF the old town clock. You
see made up my mind to be just as
perlite as Roosevelt would, and kept
practicing taking of my old sou wester.
Soon he came dashing up alongside. |
just took off my old hat and said, as
perlite as could, Good morning, Capt.
Snow, come aboard and have some re-
freshments," and | held up the biggest
lobster, one that would weigh nigh five
pounds
/ well, he shut one eye and looked
! right through me and said, you old
sinner and universal law breaker. and
he had lot more words added. I've
caught you at last and his grasp on
the rail of my old boat was fairly
squeezing the water out of it.
Il had trick of fainting when bow
and l remembered how it was done, so
over l fell. The warden was scared,
i for heard him groan and say, Guess
he's dead from heart disease. [ like to
have snorted then, but held my grip
and in moment was nearly stranded
for Snow threw half dozen bailer
dishes of bilge water in my face. 1t
brought me on my feet nearly strangled.
for nothing smells worse the bilge
water.
care you sick? he asked, and l said
only one of my spells. Awful poor
lobstering, Amt it? I've got to give it
up; can't get enough to-. pay my grub
! bill. He questioned me awful sharp as
to what done with my cuttings and
said, you see my haul this morning
won't make breakfast for us two,
there amt no cuttings either. and |
pnlled some of my traps over again so
| the warden could see there was no
1 HOLSTERS
81 don't blame the wardens. They
are doing their duty, but it don't look
right to us fishermen. Here are six
small ones." and he threw them into
our boat and we again headed for the
fishing grounds outside
At p. m. they were in the outer