verboard and making allowance for
the drift. At that time there was no wind. I had three and one-half
hours of perfectly smooth water.

It was great to be out there on a lonely sea with that splendid fish. I
was tiring, but did not fail to see the shimmering beauty of the sea,
the playing of albacore near at hand, the flight of frightened
flying-fish, the swooping down of gulls, the dim shapes of boats far
off, and away above the cloud-bank of fog the mountains of California.

About two o'clock our indefatigable quarry began to belabor the leader
again. He appeared even more vicious and stronger. That jerk, with its
ragged, rough loosening of the line, making me feel the hook was tearing
out, was the most trying action any fish ever worked on me. The physical
effort necessary to hold him was enough, without that onslaught on my
leader. Again there came a roar of water, a splash, and his huge
dark-blue and copper-colored body surged on the surface. He wagged his
head and the long black sword made a half-circle. The line was taut from
boat to fish in spite of all I could do in lowering my rod. I had to
hold it up far enough to get the spring. There was absolutely no way to
keep him from getting slack. The dangerous time in fighting heavy,
powerful fish is when they head toward the angler. Then the hook will
pull out more easily than at any other time. He gave me a second long
siege of these tactics until I was afraid I would give out. When he got
through and sounded I had to have the back-rest replaced in the seat to
rest my aching back.

Three o'clock came and passed. We dragged him awhile, and found him
slower, steadier, easier to pull. That constant long strain must have
been telling upon him. It was also telling upon me. As I tried to
save some strength for the finish, I had not once tried my utmost at
lifting him or pulling him near the boat. Along about four o'clock he
swung round to the west in the sun glare and there he hung, broadside,
about a hundred yards out, for an hour. We had to go along with him.

[Illustration: WALKING ON HIS TAIL]

[Illustration: A MAGNIFICENT FLASHING LEAP. THIS PERFECT PICTURE
CONSIDERED BY AUTHOR TO BE WORTH HIS FIVE YEARS' LABOR AND PATIENCE]

The sea began to ripple with a breeze, and at length white-caps
appeared. In half an hour it was rough, not bad, but still making my
work exceedingly hard. I had to lift the rod up to keep the seat from
turning and to hold my footing o