led me to see a swordfish back of the
bait. This one took hold and ran off to the right. When hooked it took
line with a rush, began to thresh half out, and presently sounded. We
lost the direction. It came up far ahead of the boat and began to leap
and run on the surface.

We followed while R. C. recovered the line. Then he held the fish well
in hand; and in the short time of twelve minutes brought the leader to
Dan's hand. The Marlin made a great splash as he was cut loose.

"Say, two swordfish in less than half an hour!" I expostulated. "Dan,
this might be _the_ day."

Captain Dan looked hopeful. We were always looking for that day which
came once or twice each season.

"I'm tired," said my brother. "Now you catch a couple."

He talked about swordfish as carelessly as he used to talk about
sunfish. But he was not in the least tired. I made him take up the rod
again. I sensed events. The sea looked darkly rippling, inviting, as if
to lure us on.

We had worked and drifted a little offshore. But that did not appear to
put us out of the latitude of swordfish. Suddenly Captain Dan yelled,
"Look out!" Then we all saw a blaze of purple back of R. C.'s bait. Dan
threw out the clutch. But this Marlin was shy. He flashed back and
forth. How swift! His motion was only a purple flash. He loomed up after
the teasers. We had three of these flying-fish out as teasers, all close
to the boat. I always wondered why the swordfish appear more attracted
to the teasers than to our hooked baits only a few yards back. I made
the mistake to pull the teasers away from this swordfish. Then he left
us.

I was convinced, however, that this was to be R. C.'s day, and so, much
to his amaze and annoyance, I put away my rod. No sooner had I quit
fishing than a big black tail showed a few yards out from R. C.'s bait.
Then a shining streak shot across under the water, went behind R. C.'s
bait, passed it, came again. This time I saw him plainly. He was big and
hungry, but shy. He rushed the bait. I saw him take it in his pointed
jaws and swerve out of sight, leaving a boil on the surface. R. C. did
not give him time to swallow the hook, but struck immediately. The fish
ran off two hundred yards and then burst up on the surface. He was a
jumper, and as he stayed in sight we all began to yell our admiration.
He cleared the water forty-two times, all in a very few minutes. At the
end of twenty-eight minutes R. C., with a red face and a bulging ja