148 FISH HARVESTING. 



life-buoy, marking the fish's whereabouts. The 

 halibut, finding his reception anything but agree- 

 able, tries to descend again into the lower regions, 

 a performance now difficult to accomplish, as the 

 bladder is a serious obstacle. Soon reappearing 

 on the surface, another spear was sent into him, 

 and so on, until he was compelled to remain 

 floating. During all this time the paddlers, 

 aided by the line-man, followed all the twistings 

 and windings of the fish, as a greyhound courses 

 a doubling hare. 



For some time the contest was a very equal 

 one, after the huge fish was buoyed and prevented 

 from diving. On the one side the halibut made 

 desperate efforts to escape by swimming, and 

 on the other the Indians, keeping a tight line, 

 made him tow the canoe. Evident signs of 

 weariness at last began to exhibit themselves, 

 his swimming became slower, and the attempts 

 to escape more feeble and less frequent. Several 

 times the canoe came close up to him, but a 

 desperate struggle enabled him once more to 

 get away. Again and again we were all but 

 over ; the fish, literally flying through the water, 

 sometimes towed the canoe nearly under, and at 

 others spun it suddenly round, like a whipped 

 top; nothing but the wonderful dexterity of the 

 paddlers saved us from instant shipwreck and 



