PERU 



jumping (he made a total of twenty-three jumps), he settled 

 down and swam rapidly north. 



(You must realize of course that had I not broken the foot 

 brace, gone in to obtain a substitute and returned to the fish- 

 ing grounds precisely at this moment I probably never would 

 have sighted this fish. And none of us on board realized how 

 big he was.) 



Some 45 minutes later another fine fish appeared and swam 

 along abreast of him for over half an hour. Judging from his 

 tail he seemed to be almost as big. I was somewhat worried 

 that he might cut the line though this seldom occurs with 

 39-thread. Finally I fought the fish for about an hour and a 

 quarter. I didn't want to force him too hard since I was very 

 eager to take two black marlin in a single day. That is the 

 maximum feat one can perform in fishing. By all odds my 

 greatest thrill so far had been to take two swordfish on the 

 same day. To a big game fisherman this is the equivalent of 

 a no-hit baseball game to a pitcher. It would mean that I 

 had to my credit two of all the major species in a day— two 

 black marhn to match my two swordfish; two blue marlin, 

 two giant tuna, two striped marlin, two white marhn, etc., 

 etc. 



About an hour and twenty minutes later my fish slowed 

 down a bit and tried to sound. I was able to check him and 

 arrest his downward run. He never got below 250 feet. After 

 about an hour and thirty-five minutes of this I refreshed 

 myself with a Coca-Cola. When fighting big fish we rod-and- 

 reelers, unlike the ancient angler of Ernest Hemingway's Old 

 Man and the Sea, have no desire to eat. Once in a while I've 

 sucked on an orange, as hockey players do between periods, 



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