mpanion had thrown another
handful of 'burley' into the water, three big blue groper rose to the
surface almost together, and, swallowing the crushed-up crab, began
swimming round and round the edges of the pool eagerly seeking for more.
This was my first view of this species of groper at close quarters, and
these three presented, a very beautiful sight, the very dark blue of the
whole of their closely-scaled, shining bodies, and the very light blue
of their fins and tails making a pretty contrast. Two were about 15 lb.
to 16 lb. each, the other about 35 lb. to 40 lb., and nearly four feet
in length. They swam but slowly, though every now and then they would
turn with some swiftness of motion as 'Tommy' continued to throw
in pieces of crab. Meanwhile, by my black companion's whispered
instructions, I had cut the sinker off a spare line, and baited the
four-inch hook with the two largest crabs left. Unreeving about six
fathoms of line, I handed the baited end to 'Tommy,' who deftly threw it
just before the nose of the big fellow. In an instant he had seized
the hook, and, diving, made for the opening between the rocks. 'Tommy,'
yelling to me to look to the other lines, held on like grim death and
managed to turn his prize's head in time; the two others sticking close
to their brother in misfortune. I had just hauled up one of the other
two lines, and was running round the jagged side of the pool holding the
other in my left hand (so as to keep clear of 'Tommy's' fish), when
I felt a terrific tug that nearly sent me over. 'Look out! Look out!'
shouted 'Tommy,' warningly; 'don't let that fella get underneath the
seaweed; keep him clear of dat, or you lose him!' For a 16-lb. fish he
pulled tremendously (for a boy of my size); but at last I managed to
get a steady strain on him, and then his big blue head, with its thick,
negro-like lips, soon appeared at the base of a slanting rock, up which
I hauled him, kicking and floundering. 'Tommy' meanwhile had already
landed his fish, and had cast his line for the last of the trio; but
without success; he had made off to the sea.

A few hours later, at low tide, we caught, in the same pool, seven
schnapper, averaging about 8 lb. each; a brown groper of 20 lb., a dozen
or more of deep sea bream, beautiful silvery-scaled fish, with a pale
greenish tinge on the head and back, and bright yellow fins and tail;
and several huge cray-fish, which clung to our hooks and did not let go
their