nce on approaching in a small row
boat such an accumulation of fish muscle, grit and power will never be
forgotten. It was one of _the_ events of my chequered life. The boatman
assured me I should get a "strike" of a certainty as soon as the bait
was towed within sight of them. My state of excitement was so great that
really all nerve force was gone. My muscles, instead of being tense and
strong, seemed to be relaxed and feeble; my whole body was in a tremble.
To see these monster fish of 150 to 200 lbs. swimming near by, and to
know that next moment a tremendous rush and fight would begin, was to
the novice almost a painful sensation. Not quite understanding the
mechanism of the powerful reel and breaks, and being warned that thumbs
or fingers had sometimes been almost torn off the hand, I grasped the
rod very gingerly. But I need not say what my first fish or any
particular fish did or what happened. I will only say that I got all I
wanted--enough to wear me out physically till quite ready to be gaffed
myself. It is tremendously hard work. To rest myself and vary the sport
I would leave the tarpon and tackle the red-fish, an equally game and
fighting fish, but much smaller, scaling about 15 to 20 lbs. There was a
shoal of them visible, or at least a bunch of about 100, swimming right
on the edge of the big breaking surf. Like the tarpon they thus keep
close company on account of the sharks (supposition). It was dangerous
and difficult to get the boat near enough to them; but when you did
succeed there was invariably a rush for your bait and a game fight to
follow. They are splendid chaps. Then I would return to the tarpon and
have another battle royal; and so it went on. But sometimes you would
hook a jack fish (game, and up to 25 lbs.), and sometimes get into a
shark of very big proportions. Indeed, the sharks are a nuisance, and
will sometimes cut your tarpon in two close to your boat, and they
eagerly await the time when you land your fish and unhook him to turn
him loose.

Another noble fish, of which I was lucky enough to get several, was the
king-fish, long, pike-shaped and silvery, a most beautiful creature, and
probably the fastest fish that swims. I had not realized just how quick
any fish could swim till I hooked one of these. He acts much as the
tarpon does. But I have not yet told how the latter, the king of the
herring race, does act. On being hooked he makes a powerful rush for a
hundred yards or so; the