Songs of two centuries :: :: University of Virginia Library

OUT OF ALEXANDR' BAY.

A January Fish-Story.

Poke the fire a little, children, till the log begins to blaze,
For the January blizzards! hev a lot of frosty ways;
Bring the apples an' the doughnuts, an'—the cider, understan',
An' be mighty sure to place 'em some'at handy to the han';
An' I'll string you up a story illustrative of the way
That I used to go a-fishing out of Alexandr' Bay.

First, I asked the wind an' current fur to furnish me a lift,
Then I sailed away a distance in my double-p'inted skift;

The St. Lawrence River skiff is pointed at both ends, and will run one way as well as the other. It is admirably adapted for rowing, sailing, fishing, or hunting; and no other kind would generally be seen upon that river, in a day's journey. The oarsman's dialect invariably refers to it as a “skift.”

An' I tuk it when desirous of a half a day alone,
Fur the biggest of the fishes doesn't like a human tone.
An' I recollect I anchored on one mornin' bright an' clear,
Where the basses used to gather in that season of the year.

When I found 'em, they was huddled near a little islan'-beach,
An' they measured—O my gracious, twice as much as I ken reach
(An' I don't believe there's any hev their arms in a posish
Fur to stretch 'em more than I ken, in describin' of a fish);
An' the mornin' was so gentle, an' the water was so clear,
I cud see 'em smell my minny jus' as if they all was here.

But a lot o' rich New Yorkers hed their summer houses nigh,
An' my gracious them 'er fishes was a-eatin' cake an' pie!

One fisherman whom the author remembers, used often to make this complaint: and on such occasions, would wait patiently till the fish became hungry again: when he generally succeeded in hauling them into his boat, in most approved style.

Cooks hed throwed it in the river when it cluttered up a dish,
An' I s'pose it tasted better to the fishes, than a fish;
An' I whispered to my conscience, “You are very near a fool,
Ef you waste your time a-danglin' overneath a boardin'-school!”

Then my conscience answered, “Stiddy; keep a-givin 'em the bait!
There is al'ays blessin's comin' to a feller that can wait.”

An' I kep' a peekin' down'ard so 's to see how matters stood,
An' I held a lively minny jus' as near 'em as I could;
An' I meant it as a primium fer the scholars; but alas!
Not a single one would offer fur to jine my cookin'-class!

Then they sort o' laid an' rested in the water still an' deep,
An' they dropped their noses down'ard, an' appeared to go to sleep;
An' they nestled near and nearer to the river's sandy floor,
An' I listened till I reckoned I could hear the fellers snore!
An' I says, “Lie still and slumber; I'm a-watching o'er your bed;
If you'll only wake up hungry, here is blessin's on your head!

Bye an' bye the leader started, scratched his for'ead with a fin,
An' he stretched an' yawned a little, an' my bait it wiggled in
('Twas a knowin' breed o' minnies we was rearin' at the Bay),
An' the bass he shut his mouth up, an' the hook got in the way;
An' before he hed the priv'lege fur to flop a single note,
He had left his loved companions, an' had started for the boat.

Then I winked unto the minny, an' I thought I see him grin,
An' I 'magine he enjoyed it, so I sent him down ag'in;
An' he run among 'em lively—like a wiggler in a cup;
An' kep' knockin' at their doorways, till he woke another up;
An' the fish embraced his caller, more in passion than in love;
An' immediately started for the happy land above.

One by one the others wakened, an' the word was passed aroun'
There was somethin' there fur nothin' that hed jus' come into town;
An' they soon was crazy fur it—an' the smartest of 'em led
(Fur a fish is partly human, as I think I al'ays said):
An' may Ananias' spirit come and visit me tonight,
Ef them everlastin' fishes didn't stan' in line to bite!

An' my boat was overloaded till it sort o' sagged an' stuck,
An' I sold 'em out in messes to some fellers scant of luck;
An' some fifty reputations as a fisherman, no doubt,
Was established on the fishes I'm a-tellin' ye about;
Anyhow, the rich New Yorkers

Not only New Yorkers, but people from other localities in different parts of the world, have been known to surreptitiously purchase fish, with which to make a good showing of their prowess when they returned to their homes or hotel, at night.

, they was buyin' all the way
From the islan' of the basses into Alexandr' Bay.