HOLIDAY NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XVII, Issue 2503, 5 August 1874, Page 2

HOLIDAY NOTES.

[Written for the Wanganui Chronicle ,] No 1. Lately having a little leisure and plenty of inclination for a holiday trip, I took advantage of a friend's offer to accompany him across the Btraits in his yacht like schooner to Pelorus Sound. I was not long in packing up my dunnage (a sea term for one's clothing I believe) and putting it on board of the schooner, and being at best but a land lubber 1 thought that once my traps were on board there was nothing further to do than to up anchor and be off to sea. But I found out quickly that those who go down to the sea in ships, which rejoice not in so many horse power with all their attendant smoke, steam, noise, and olea ginous odour, must just practice patience and wait for a fair wind and not too much of it. 1 had a splendid opportunity of becoming a perfect Job so for as patience is concerned, but 1 am afraid by some mischance I became a very Jonah, as we laid at the heads wind bound for nearly a week, during which time I got up my shooting by picking oft a stray seagull or two as we sailed by on the rushing gale. I shall not pretend to say that I enjoyed the monotony of lying at anchor at the heads, but the time was lightened by the kindness of our skipper, who had a splendid stock of sea stories ail of which he gravely assured me. were positive facts *ud one ov two I may submit to the critical notice of my readei s, as I really should like to have. , a candid

expression of opinion from some of them and find out whether they too think with me that our worthy skipper did not like to spoil a good story far v ant of a little seasoning of fiction. After a tedious sojonrn at the heads enlivened by a regular 1 .sreezer of a youth Easter which our skipper, whom I shall introduce to my readers as Mac," assured me was only a zephyr to a Fiji hurricane, which he said he liad seen blow with such violence as te leive all the birds on the island featherless, we awoke one morning to find the wind favorable and the bar smooth. The windlass clinked merrily and the blocks cheeped cheerily as we got under weigh at sunrise and silently passed by the castle cliff on which " Jock " was standing piloting us out. When on the bar the wind fell away and our schooner seemed inclined to go ashore) but a timely breeze carried us out and we were soon sailing slowly towards our destination. As the primar)' object in going was to have fsome good fishing, I commenced operations by asking " Mac " if there were|auy|barraeouta to be caught in the neighborhood. I shall give his reply in his own words and leave my readers to believe as much of them as they like^ g s " Barracouta ! you'd better bet — why one day men Bob were catching them here with a jigger out of the boat, and we got into them so thick that we were jerking them into the boat like one o'clock, and we nearly got the worst of it at last, as the others seeing their chums jumping into the boat set to work to jump after them like sheep bucking over a straw. By thunder, it took Bob and me all our time to keep the boat afloat by chucking them out the other side as fast as they came in. " Thus encouraged I baited a hook with a small herring and before long I had a regular six-footer of a baracouta on. How the brute struggled ! my line was new ; my hands were soft, and before r landed him safe on deck my fingers were sore enough, but I had come fishing and would have felt bound to pnll up a taniwha had I fastened on to one ! The wind which had been light all the morning now fell almost to a calm and as we were about 10 miles off the bar an ancient mariner known as " skipper Jones " advised us to try for schnapper. Before trying ior schnapper we had to try for the bottom — my line went about a quarter of the yay down so I had to borrow more, and at last felt the sinker land in soft sand at a depth of about 20 fathoms— tug ! tug I tug ! ! ! and I claim that blood as I struggle to land my prize ; but" soft hands and thm lines don't go well together as I find to my discomfort ; however "skipper Jones " comes to the rescue and lifts a splendid fish over the rail just as my friend on the other side of the schooner who has bent three hooks on to the lead line, lifts by a strong effort a brace of big fish over the side. The fun now waxed fasD and furious as the fish bit savagely while theline mov^d slowly over their feeding ground. At times my chum at the lead line would have three heavy fish strutting on his line in addition to the deep sea lea-1, which made it no easy work to haul in so great a weight. I was lucky enough to do all uiy catches in singles and to secure the biggest fish, one of the crew relieving me of the labour of haulin<» up the heaviest. After an hour or so, during which time we had literally covered the deck with fish, I found I had either got fast to the bottom or to an enor mous f£h. After vainly trying to lift it " Skipper Jones " came to the rescue and declared it to be a " groper. " Breathless with excitement I watched the line straining and sagging as the fish lazily struggled to stay down stairs— foot by foot the line came in until about half its length had been pulled up, when bang goes the " skipper " against the companion hatch, and I know my old friend has hooked it off with part of my line. It was simply disgusting losing such a prize, as the fish must have weighed well on to a cwt and I am afiaid I made a lew cwsoi-y remarks on the twine I had bought for bending my hooks on with. However, there was no help for it, and a few prize schnapper soon consoled me for my lost groper. When the wind sprung up again we had a grand disj lay of fish, and then all hands set to work to clean them. Having from childhood cherished a dislike for work I volunteered to take the wheel, as that looked the easiest job. Of the two. " All right ! keep" her as she goes " said Mac as he made way for me to take the helm. " 0 yes " thought I, i "Til keep her as she goes" and I was really nattering myself that I was doing it beartifully, but Mac rudely dispelled the illusion by asking me if I knew where the devil I was going? of course I did, and told him I was bound for Pelorus Sound. " Well it a'int behind Cape Egmont " sarcastically replied Mac approaching me with a butcher's knife gory and scaly in his teeth, and rudely pushing me to one side, after which, he commenced to " wind her up" furiously. Finding that easy as steering looked it required some knowledge of seamanship, I at once took a lesson from Mac, who did not scalp tneasl expected he would when I saw him rushing aft as above described. After a while I could steer her about as straight as a horse's hind leg which was near enough while the different leading landmarks were iv view. By tea time the whole of our first day's fishing, except the anchors, which were fished before we cleared the heads, was cleaned, salted, and neatly packed in barrels. That night was really the first enjoyable one I had spent on board, as we had lots to talk about while <ia we blew clouds and imbibed niodest quenchers of Wanganui ale, of which we laid in a liberal supply before sailing. As the night advanced the wind freshened and our little clipper heeled over to it as she rushed swiftly through t'.ie water. When I went on deck at day

light next morning I found we were close to the " Chetwoods > " two small islands at the mouth of Peloious Sound The wind however was by this time off the land and very light so . that our progress was neither fast nor in the right direction ; however, after some hours we got to an anchorage and went to dinner after which we were to take the boat and pull into the steep rocky point close to and get some " blue cod " fishing, an accoiint of which I must defer until another issue, as 1 am afraid I have already occupied space enough for once. Fishhook.