one will ever believe how powerful a bonefish
is until he has tried to stop the rush and heard the line snap. As for
his cunning, it is utterly baffling. As for his biting, it is almost
imperceptible. As for his tactics, they are beyond conjecture.

[Illustration: THE GAMEST FISH THAT SWIMS]

[Illustration: A WAAHOO]

I want to append here a few passages from my note-books, in the hope
that a bare, bald statement of fact will help my argument.

* * * * *

First experience on a bonefish shoal. This wide area of coral mud was
dry at low tide. When we arrived the tide was rising. Water scarcely a
foot deep, very clear. Bottom white, with patches of brown grass. We saw
bonefish everywhere and expected great sport. But no matter where we
stopped we could not get any bites. Schools of bonefish swam up to the
boat, only to dart away. Everywhere we saw thin white tails sticking
out, as they swam along, feeding with noses in the mud. When we drew in
our baits we invariably found them half gone, and it was our assumption
that the blue crabs did this.

At sunset the wind quieted. It grew very still and beautiful. The water
was rosy. Here and there we saw swirls and tails standing out, and we
heard heavy thumps of plunging fish. But we could not get any bites.

When we returned to camp we were told that the half of our soldier-crab
baits had been sucked off by bonefish. Did not believe that.

Tide bothered us again this morning. It seems exceedingly difficult to
tell one night before what the tide is going to do the next morning. At
ten o'clock we walked to the same place we were yesterday. It was a
bright, warm day, with just enough breeze to ruffle the water and make
fishing pleasant, and we certainly expected to have good luck. But we
fished for about three hours without any sign of a fish. This was
discouraging and we could not account for it.

So we moved. About half a mile down the beach I thought I caught a
glimpse of a bonefish. It was a likely-looking contrast to the white
marl all around. Here I made a long cast and sat down to wait. My
brother lagged behind. Presently I spied two bonefish nosing along not
ten feet from the shore. They saw me, so I made no attempt to drag the
bait near them, but I called to my brother and told him to try to get a
bait ahead of them. This was a little after flood-tide. It struck me
then that these singular fish feed up the beach with one tide and