31. XXXI.
FISHING EXCURSION.
The Leviathan, Capt. Wm. Sholl, left
the foot of Superior street at 6 o'clock yesterday
morning for a fishing excursion down
the lake. There were about twenty persons
in the party, and we think we never saw a
more lovely lot of men. The noble craft
swept majestically out of the Cuyahoga into
the lake, and as she sped past a retired
coal-dealer's office the Usher borrowed our
pocket-handkerchief (which in the excess of
his emotion he forgot to return us) to wipe
away four large tears which trickled from
his light bay eyes. On dashed the Leviathan
at the rate of about forty-five knots an
hour. The fishing-ground reached, the
clarion voice of Sholl was heard to ejaculate,
“Reef home the jib-boom, shorten the
mainbrace, splice the forecastle, and throw
the hurricane-deck overboard! Lively, my
lads!” “Aye, aye, Sir!” said Marsh, the
chaplain of the expedition, in tones of thunder,
and the gallant party sprang to execute
the Captain's orders, the agile form of first-officer
Hilliard being especially conspicuous
in reefing the jib-boom. Lines were
cast and the sport commenced. It seemed
as though all the fish in the lake knew of
our coming, and had collected in that particular
spot for the express purpose of being
caught! What teeth they had—sufficiently
good, certainly, to bite a cartridge or anything
else. The Usher caught the first fish
—a small but beautiful bass, whose weight
was about three inches and a half. The
Usher was elated at this streak of luck, but
his hand did not tremble, and he continued
to haul the fish in until at noon he
had caught thirteen firkins full, and he announced
that he should fish no more.
Cruelty was no part of his nature, and he did
not think it right to slaughter fish in this
way. Cross, Barney, and the rest, were immensely
successful, and hauled in tremendous
quantities of bass, perch, Mackinaw
trout, and Connecticut shad. Bone didn't
catch a fish, and we shall never forget the
sorrowful manner in which the poor fellow
gazed upon our huge pile of beautiful bass,
which occupied all of the quarter-deck and
a large portion of the forecastle. Having
fished enough the party went ashore, where
they found Ab. McIlrath (who was fanning
himself with a barn door), the Grand Commandant
(who in a sonorous voice requested
the parties, as they alighted from the small
boats, to “keep their heads out of water”),
the General (who was discussing with the
Doctor the propriety of annexing East
Cleveland to the United States), and several
distinguished gentlemen from town, who
had come down with life-preservers and
ginger-pop. After disposing of a sumptuous
lunch the party amused and instructed
each other by conversation, and about
3 o'clock the shrill whistle of the Leviathan
was sounded by Mike, the urbane and accomplished
engineer, and the party were
soon homeward bound. It was a good
time.
