each other at the culmen, where, through the ragged crater, the beaten smoke struggles against the impetuous gales, mounting from the central fire built beneath, upon the primeval hearth of circling anchor-stones. Captain Dodd threshed the oats out of the straw, which, now intertwined and closely thatched between the unpeeled rafters, repels the whistling storm with its thick envelopment. No unshut doors creak on their unoiled hinges, letting in the cold air; nor windows tempt the passing juvenal to throw stones. The spumal piscators have ingress by a hole cut through the straw near the ground, bending down upon their knees. The mansion glories in two avenues of entrance. Eurus breathes upon the one; sleepy Phœbus, going to bed, paints with doubtful purple the other;-inlets beloved by baymen, safe avenues of escape from the rough assaults of the puffy servants of Æolus, who are always cruising about the beach. Hail! hospitable holes! A piece of stranded ship-timber furnishes a safe street-door, secured by a laid up stone; the wind is shut out, and the tired family sleep. Exegi monumentum"*—I have built the hut. 66 Contemplate, now, the household ornature. Enter, welcome friend. Stoop, stoop-" Bend, stubborn knees." And now recline upon this couch of wholesome straw, which carpets the whole area of the domicil. The dying coals shed but uncertain light upon the congregated groups of sleepers, and dimly give to sight the motley equipage of the crew. There they lie, "each in his narrow cell," or rather, each in his little stramineous dormitory, which, once appropriated, is sacred to the bones of its peculiar tenant. There sleeps, and snores the worn-out bayman; "—structis cantat avenis."§ * Horace. + Hamlet. + Gray. § Ovid. There, the safe proprietor deposits his pea-coat, private liquor, and unusual blanket; confident in the honor of his comrades, unless the weather should happen to be savage, when, doubtless, he will watch diligently. No idle space remains, save the brief circle around the fire place, which serves, in turn, for parlor, dining-room, and kitchen. The tapestry hangings are various, and picturesque. The subject of the illustration is the blessed beauty of utility. Up against the sapling uprights are fastened shelves, unconscious of the plane ; and rust-browned hooks, and nails, disclose their alternate heads and points, where lie, or are suspended, or are thrust into the straw, the luxuries and superfluities of the squad :“Αρχετ' ἀοιδᾶς” Begin, ye nine, the sweet descriptive lay”—* to wit; a jug of molasses; item, a black-edged, broken, pack of playing cards; item, a love-feast hymn-book; item, six inches by two of looking-glass-quicksilver half off; item, a bunch of mackerel; item, an extra pair of party-colored pantaloons, nineteen times mended in the seat; item, something to take, by way of medicine, for thirsty members of the Temperance society; item, the first two leaves of "the Swearer's Prayer"-tract-rest used up; item, the American Songster; item, but the inventory will "stretch out to the crack of doom;"-most imaginative reader, complete the catalogue with guns, eel-spears, clam-rakes, powder-horns, and breadbaskets, with their appurtenances, according to thy most fastidious desires. There are all of these, and more, for thee to choose from. Having resolved the difficulties of the selection, wend back with me, a short way, to our landing place, and *Theoc. I. Idyl. per Cobbett. know a new friend with whom we ought to have tarried on our way, and held a brief discourse. We have crossed the bay, skirting by the Fire Islands, leaving them a few hundred yards behind us to the north, and have rested our prow upon the classical sands of Raccoon Beach. Upon our arrival here, we put in alongside of the new wharf of the eximious Mr. Smith, a person of no little importance, being a man under authority, having a wife over him, a keeper of their majesties', the people's, lighthouse, adjoining his own tenement, duly appointed and commissioned, a lawful voter, a licensed vender of " spurrets and things accorden," and the only householder upon the island ridge. Mr. Smith had the happiness, in early life, of being blest with parents of taste, in matters of nomenclature, singularly coincident with that of my own. His christian name was Jeremiah, too; and—perhaps, because his surname was unusual, and difficult to pronouncehis friends and visitors always gave him their greeting, by the gentle and euphonious appellation of "Jerry.” I always thought it was kind in Jerry to take out that license; first upon his own account, because it brought him company that could give him the news from the upland, now and then, and the correct time of day, and a little odd change occasionally; and secondly, upon the account of the aforesaid company, because they could always rely upon getting something to comfort the inner man, good, when they landed from their long adventure across the bay. And in good sooth, these are not few, nor melancholy visitors, who make their pilgrimages to this romantic region. Pilgrimages? Aye; for here is a shrine most generous and propitious, to the bayman, the sportsman, the bather, and the beach-frolicker. How often have those dark waters been sprinkled, as with rain, with the spent lead of the skulking shooter, and the clear air rent with the oft echoed crack of his heated fowlingpiece! How often has that winding beach drank the glad voice of the merry maiden of Queens, as she welcomed to her bosom the mounting swell of the ravenous ocean tide! How have rung the blithe laugh, the half-stifled scream, the shriek, the prayer, the confident voice, mingling and confused, with the splashing plunge, and the breaking billows! Oh, days gone by! gone by, alas! for ever! Shall I never wind my arm again around the gentle waist of-Hold, hold, rash hand! Be comforted, sorrowful heart! It is nothing, most discerning reader, it is nothing. Let us hurry on with our legitimate raptures. Then, again, old Neptune's sea-steeds never snuffed the land-breeze from a more delicately pebbled strand; nor did goddess nature ever paint a sheet of scenery more glorious, than that which lies beneath, and above, and around you, when gazing, in the quiet solitude of your eyry, in a summer's twilight, from the topmost casement of that light-house. There, from the south, comes the many-voiced ocean, sporting like a mighty musician, running his wild notes upon the hollowsounding shore. Majestically, he lifts upon his billows, his fleets of gallant ships, hailing the prayed-for land, and heaves them aloft toward Heaven, as if vaunting the richness and multitude of the gems that glow upon his restless bosom. Near by, in the west, he has burst through, in some night of rage, his ancient barrier, and rolls an impetuous current along the Fire Island inlet. Beyond, lies the dismembered remainder of the beach; and beach, and marsh, and breaker, and blue shore, succeed, in turn, as far as eye can reach. Turn to the north, and the quiet bay presents to you the contrast of its transparent mirror. Stilly, and gently, it kisses the margin of its beautiful islets, that glisten with green meadows, and wave with bending rushes, and are vocal with the music of the dowitcher and plover. The wood-crowned hills of MaMatowacs! Garden of Columbia! Mother and nourisher of a noble race towacs bound your vision. We have not time for any more glorification at present. As the happy laureat of Blackhawk would say, "sufficient for the day is the gammon thereof." The reader understands now, sufficiently, all the necessary topography. It may be well, however, to add that Raynor Rock's fishing-hut was about two hundred yards from our landing place, and an equal distance from Jerry's domicil and the light-house. After securing our boat, we unloaded her, and carried our oars, and guns, and traps, to Jerry's, and took lodgings. This was for form sake merely, knowing, as we did, that the most of our time would be spent in the bay, or in Raynor's hut. Jerry was not in a very amiable mood when we arrived, and we had none of us, any especial commendation to tarry long, except, perhaps, Oliver, who came rather reluctantly out of the kitchen, where we found him, as usual, helping the help. However, we soon got away, and started for Raynor's, bearing the always easy burden of a jug of special stuff, which we knew would not come amiss of a rainy night. A hop, a skip, and a jump, a few times repeated, brought us to the welcome which has already been recorded. 66 Lay on more wood. the news in York? things at Jerry's? What's Left your What'll Zoph, get a pail of water. When did you come down? Had supper? A'nt ye hungry? ye drink? Boys, get that ere bass-stir, stir. Sit down, Oliver; sit down on this pea-jacket." We were soon comfortable around a blazing fire, and rattling off the usual small-talk of old acquaintances. As a mat |