The Fisher Boy (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1861 edition. Excerpt: ...of a score of the most sagacious of the sons of Esculapius. The excitement became so general (perhaps the conditional promise of a new hat in the fall, contributed its share of influence) as to draw the cook likewise into the sport, which personage divided most devotedly his time between his line and the pot. Hence, late it was before the greeting sound of breakfast came forth; and then even the usual scrambling toward the gangway did not take place. An earnest feeling held hunger at the time at bay. Yet at length one after another stole off below, snatched a bite, and was so quickly back to his line, as to have made it hardly possible to be missed. The genius of Yankee greed-getting could hardly have exacted anything more faithful. Early in the afternoon, the bite began to slacken. But the skipper instead of taking it moderately in the beginning--that is, knocking off in season to complete dressing down before night, pursued that very common course of overreaching gain, which commonly defeats its own end, --and had the crew remain at the rail, 'till sunset. This brought them far into the night, before the fishes could be put snugly under the deck. Keeping so late hours, might have been borne for one night, but it was repeated time and again, fishing all day, and dressing half the night, until poor human nature could hardly stand up under it longer. As for Walter, he came soon to being nearly used up, to employ a Hibernianism. The eternal dressing down over, it was with much ado, that he could drag his weary limbs down the gangway, to the supper table. Here, so complete was physical prostration, that as hunger ridden as he was, his spoonful of squeal was-as likely to be poured into his bosom, as into his mouth, to the no little merriment of the...