62 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNL^. 



it, and seeing that it was demoralized again, brought 

 it in, fighting every inch. Another gaff, larger and 

 stouter, another quick turn, and the clever boatman, 

 flushed with victory, stood a moment holding the 

 monster by the throat, then we stepped on the rail, 

 forcing it down to the water's edge, and the tuna 

 slid gracefully into the boat, where it beat a tattoo 

 that bid fair to crush the timbers. Then, and only 

 then, did we realize that it was a record fish, a giant 

 of the tribe; and as boats gathered around, cheers, 

 shouts, and congratulations rose on the air. As we 

 pulled in, and the splendid creature was hauled out, 

 triced up, and weighed, it was a moment of supreme 

 satisfaction; for the game had nearly turned the tables 

 several times, and had been taken with a line so small 

 as to challenge the credulity of almost any one. 



"Six feet four, a hundred and eighty- three pounds, 

 sir," was the verdict of the proud boatman, Jim Gard- 

 ner, of England, without whose skilled and clever 

 work the contest would have ended long before. Such, 

 in brief, were the incidents in the catch of the fish 

 that became the first record of the Tuna Club, which 

 was founded a few days later. 



This catch typifies what is known in the United 

 States as "strenuous sport"; but it was a small fish, 

 eighty-eight pounds lighter, that really gave me the 

 most sensational contest. I was fishing off Long Point 

 with a light yellowtail rod to see if I could land a tuna 

 on it, when I had a strike, a fine fish which was brought 

 to gaff after a surface play of forty minutes. I had 

 the same boatman, but a lower and lighter boat, a 

 broad-beamed yawl. With me was Mr. Dennison, of 

 Philadelphia, an ardent angler. We had, as often 



