I have in the foregoing, described somewhat in detail the means used in killing wild fowl; and now I will take up the fishing industry which was far back, beyond seventy years ago, second only to fowling, if not its equal.

Be it remembered that sixty years ago or more the people of the other portions of the country thought of catching fresh water fish for market. The Islanders had been and were then abundantly supplying, with chub and perch, Norfolk, Richmond, and other adjacent markets.

After caught, the fish were strung into bunches; ten perch, more or less, according to size, constituted a bunch; while one large chub, or two small ones, made a bunch. A large load of these fish for a market cart was two hundred and fifty bunches; medium, two hundred bunches; a small load one hundred to one hundred and fifty bunches; indeed, some to strain a point, with an able team, would carry three hundred bunches; but too insure quick transportation and speedy sale one hundred and fifty bunches were considered a fair load.

There were regular catches and regular freighters; the latter attended the landings to load up and thence hasten away to Norfolk.

It was custom for the freighters to go early in the afternoon to the landings; and when loaded up would hie away and be in Norfolk early the next morning. Sometimes one boat might load two carts, at other times it might take two boats to load one cart. The freight charge for carrying these fish to market (as I recollect it) was a third part.

At the start of this business, likely a hundred and twenty five, or more years ago, the fish, so I was informed, wore sold in the market at retail by the bunch by those who carried them to Norfolk; or sold in bulk to the hucksters for like distribution. Later on, however, and within my memory, a change took place in the fish market.

A man by the name of Howard made arrangement for the transportation and sale of these fish, in Richmond and other places in Virginia, and I believe in Baltimore as well; thereupon, Howard became the sole purchaser, and to his place of business on Union Street all the fish were carried.

Of course Howard had his own way in fixing prices, yet to keep fish coming, he generally gave a fair price--from five to eight cents per bunch, according to the condition of the weather. In cold weather with fish scarce as much as ten cents per bunch was often realized.

There were thirty freighters who made a fair livelihood by carrying fowl, fish, poultry, eggs, etc., to Norfolk. They often carried mixed loads. Howard made money fast and became quite independent. These marketers by selling their loads at once to Howard got back home the next night; by this quick mode they often made two trips a week.

This selling to Howard went on for some time, when a radical change took place. Miles Taylor, a huckster in the market, seeing Howard making a fortune on fish, added that to his business, and came a strong competitor of Howard.

Their places of business were adjacent to each other, and the fun commenced. The one that gave the most got the fish and ducks. Fish now often went to twelve cents bunch, and ducks advanced accordingly. Thus trade went on in this way for some time, apparently satisfactorily to all parties, until the two great storms, came along, in March and September, 1846, which destroyed all fresh water fish in Knotts Island waters; for the breakers of the Atlantic washed the Island's shores. It was some years before the chub (welshmen) came around again; when this time did arrive the same business began and continued as before.

Although after these storms, of which I will have more to say presently, the waters about the Island remained a long time brackish, consequently unsuited to the chub's taste, yet these Islanders, always on the alert, soon found in the fresher waters of Coinjock Bay and other remote places abundance of chub and other fish, and went thither. Often two in one boat would take another boat in tow, hie away to Coinjock Bay ten miles or more away, load up both boats and be off for home by noon.

To verify this, Mr. John Simmons of Coinjock told me that one day while working on his windmill on the bayside, he saw two Knotts Island fishermen appear near by; two were in one boat, with another in tow; and that in three hours; to his great astonishment, they had loaded both with fish and were off for home. Now these fish were surely in Norfolk early the next morning. There were no people in Currituck prior to the '50's, except the Islanders who ever thought of catching and marketing fish to Norfolk in a fresh state. Of course, there may have been an inconsiderable number of fishermen on the water courses in their respective sections who peddled a few fish to supply the home-stayers. In the southern part of the county some caught herrings in Spring, and shipped them in boats to market in a salted state. Prior to 1850, it would have consumed nearly the whole of a week for a person from Coinjock and south thereof to make a trip with a load to Norfolk and back again. Some people who followed occasional marketing in this slow way covered their carts, in order to protect them from a week's weather, thus making them resemble a peddler's wagon. This plan was almost always adopted by the people of Poplar Branch and Powell's Point. If these people started on Monday evening, after having prepared their load in the morning, they might be home again the last of the week. It was quite a task for those who had to market their pork, poultry, and sweet potatoes. About ten bushels of potatoes made a load. But with the marketers of Knotts Island, time was well utilized and space little considered; ducks and fish had to go, and they went.

Thirty six hours was all the time wanted for a trip to Norfolk and back and when pressed for time if the load were light this could be somewhat reduced.

Long before the writer was born, and up to and including the '30's and '40's, and '50's of the last century the people of Knotts Island, in the way of fishing, fowling, chicken raising, and rapid marketing were far ahead of the rest of the people of Currituck County, especially of the southern part. About 1860 other people, bordering the water sections of the county, began slowly to see the light on these lines, and now, of course, since marketing is done by steamers, Knotts' Island has plenty of helpers in killing ducks and catching fresh fish for market. But these Islanders cannot and never will be downed; they have no superiors in this respect and few equals.

Why were the people of this Island so far ahead of others of their county, in the past, in fowling and fishing business? Its people were always and are now more in touch with the people of Princess Anne County, Va., than with the people of their own county; for their only way by land to Norfolk was through Princess Anne County; and the people of that county were following the same fowling and fishing business as the Islanders. Their fish and fowl were gotten out of Back Bay and others of its eastern waters; so the interest of the two sections were identical; and, no doubt, the people of this Island took their first lesson in this trade from the people of eastern Princess Anne, perhaps a century and more ago.

To show the friendly relationship which has existed for centuries and is still existing between Knotts Island and Pricess Anne, I will point out one circumstance: When the General Conference of the M. E. Church South took this conference district in North Carolina, several years ago Knotts Island Methodists gave it a solid no; and there is no doubt but that if arrangement had not been made for the Knotts Island Church to remain in the Virginia Conference, Knotts Island would have seceded; for did not their preachers alway come from and belong to Princess Anne circuit; hadn't they preached to their great-great-grand parents, and from them down to the present generation; and were they not, generally, from the most intelligent class of preachers of the Virginia Conference which as a body is the equal of the United States Congress? No; no change or barter for them! On this line, the writer, being born & reared on this Island, is impressed with the same sentiment as these Island people.

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