Favorite Fish and Fishing 



oldest woman was an Immense specimen, 

 weighing about two hundred and fifty 

 pounds, and with a beam as broad as the 

 cart. The other woman was a comely 

 mulatto girl, her daughter. I had just 

 gaffed a small horned ray, a devil-fish, about 

 four feet across its wing-like pectoral fins. 

 The fat and dusky gargantuan female 

 came waddling down the beach as fast as 

 her short legs could carry her. On seeing 

 the rather formidable and frightful looking 

 ray, she recoiled in horror and exclaimed: 

 The Darkeys " Good Lawd ! Wat Is dat ting, mls- 



and the Devil- ^ i -> m 



fish tah?" 



" That's a devil-fish. Auntie," I replied. 



" Fo' de lan's sake ! It sho' luks lak de 

 debble! Luk, Rastus; luk at his ho'ns and 

 tail!" 



Then turning to her daughter, she said : 

 " Go 'way, honey; don't come anigh dat 

 ugly varmint; he sho' swallow yo' or prod 

 yo' wid his ho'ns." 



I assured her and the other terror- 

 stricken darkles that no harm would befall 

 them provided they did not approach too 

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