Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-05-30
A FISHING TRIP.
{ By A. T. Milk Surry.)

When l was boy, someone
mesmerized father and sold him a
boat. This boat was about twenty
FIVE feet long, sloop rugged, and had
a reputation as being leakyI Father
filled the seams in her bottom with
hard soap, painted a name on her
stern, put on board weeks pro-
visions, hired Capt. Eben Sinclair of
East Surry as pilot, and began, what
| considered, a very eventful fishing
trip.
One sunny October morning we
left Surry for Colts island. The
wind was fair and a good breeze
That night we anchored in Bartlett's
island narrows, twelve miles from
home. Twelve miles in ten hours
with fair wind. When that boat was
underway it was hard to tell which
way she was going, if going at all.
Father said that she wasn't built
for speed, but for comfort. Perhaps
so.
For twenty years l searched far
and wide for the man who built that
| boat, but failed to find him. A few
years ago the news reached me that
a man living in Sedgwick, l believe,
| had made a death-bed confession
| that he built the boat-said he in
| tended no harm when he built it, but
| he couldn't die with load like that
| on his mind. I forgave him, OF
course AS I grow older I find that
I'm more inclined to be charitable
| toward the wrongdoers.
The next day we reached Colts
| island. We went into the inner pool
| and grounded the boat. Father said
| that he felt safe in that harbor.
While the boat was aground I caught
| up on the bailing.
| After filling the seams once more
| with soap, we made off for Duck
| islands. Not a fish did we catch.
| Even those trained fishermen weren't
catching any. This was before the
| power boat. These Colts island
fishermen could handle a sail boat
the best of anyone I have ever seen.
| Their skill was something mar
velous.
After we had been at Colts island
| for three or four days, a man came
alongside in a dory and told father
that the fish were plentiful at Long
island. "That is the place to 60" he
| said. This was the most repulsive
| appearing man l have ever seen. His
| face was covered with black
whiskers almost as coarse as pigs
bristles. His hair was long, too
His nose was too large for beauty
and had a cant to starboard. Peer
ing out from bushy eyebrows were
two piercing black eyes.
This man was what jugglers of
big words would call a recluse. He
lived alone on an island. l knew this
man was a distant relative Of Ana
Mas, but father believed him. No
doubt but what he is dead now. No
doubt but what he has gone to the
| great beyond. l won't say where
| hope he went.
The next day we drifted into Long
there we lay for two long, dreary
weeks. Day after day we tried to
beat that boat out of that harbor,
but failed.
The sleeping quarters aboard that
boat were, as Capt. Sinclair said,
"cramped." Father hired vacant
house, and to this we carried our
bedding and cooking outfit and what
provisions we had left. I said the
house was vacant. Not exactly. 1t
was alive with rats-the largest,
| fiercest, hungriest rats that I have
| ever associated with We made our
beds on the floor for the simple
reason we hadn't any bedsteads. We
left our clothes on the floor when we
retired. The next morning we dis
| covered that our wardrobe had been
disturbed. All the greasy, shiny
places in fathers pants were eaten
| out. The knees were pnne and q