At a signal given by the ladies, the lines were thrown into the lake, and, almost at the same moment, a deafening hurrah of a hundred voices announced that all the baits had been taken before reaching the bottom, every fisherman imagining that he had won his bet.  The winner, however, could never be ascertained, and nobody gave it a second thought all being now too much excited with the sport.  The variety of the fish was equal to the rapidity with which they were taken:  basses, perch, sun-fish, buffaloes, trouts, and twenty other sorts.  In less than half an hour my canoe was full to sinking:  and I should certainly have sunk with my cargo, had it not been most opportunely taken out by one of the spare boats.  All was high glee on shore and on the lake, and the scene was now and then still diversified by comic accidents, causing the more mirth, as there was no possibility of danger.

The canoe next to me was full to the gunwale, which was not two inches above water:  it contained the English traveller and a negro, who was quite an original in his way.  As fish succeeded to fish, their position became exceedingly ludicrous:  the canoe was positively sinking, and they were lustily calling for assistance.  The spare boat approached rapidly, and had neared them to within five yards, when the Englishman’s line was suddenly jerked by a very heavy fish, and so unexpectedly, that the sportsman lost his equilibrium and fell upon the larboard side of the canoe.

The negro, wishing to restore the equilibrium, threw his weight on the opposite side; unluckily, this had been the simultaneous idea of his white companion, who also rolled over the fish to starboard.  The canoe turned the turtle with them, and away went minnows, crawfish, lines, men, and all.  Everybody laughed most outrageously, as the occupants of the canoe reappeared upon the surface of the water, and made straight for the shore, not daring to trust to another canoe after their ducking.  The others continued fishing till about half-past nine, when the rays of the sun were becoming so powerful as to compel us to seek shelter in the tents.

If the scene on the lake had been exciting, it became not less so on-shore, when all the negroes, male and female, crowding together, began to scale, strip, and salt the fish.  Each of them had an account to give of some grand fishery, where a monstrous fish, a mile in length, had been taken by some fortunate “Sambo” of the South.  The girls gaped with terror and astonishment, the men winking and trying to look grave, while spinning these yarns, which certainly beat all the wonders of the veracious Baron Munchausen.

The call to renew the sport broke off their ludicrous inventions.  Our fortune was as great as in the forenoon, and at sunset we returned home, leaving the negroes to salt and pack the fish in barrels, for the supply of the plantation.

A few days afterwards, I bade adieu to Mr. Courtenay and his delightful family, and embarked myself and horse on board of one of the steamers bound to St. Louis, which place I reached on the following morning.