202 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



I struck two of these bats and lost them before fastening on- 

 to the big one we captured. As the skifE was backed up to 

 the fish by Farnsworth, it seemed as if I was about to plunge 

 the harpoon into a floating island. The harpoon struck the 

 bat just back of the hump on its back, which proved on investi- 

 gation to be its vulnerable part. Gracious! how the water 

 flew when the fish started on its first rush. It towed both the 

 skiff and the barrel at express-train speed. The launch, which 

 was following us, seemed to stand still, so rapidly were we 

 dragged through the water. The bat circled, dove to the bot- 

 tom, and tried all the stunts it could command to break loose; 

 but we were there with both feet, and although at times we 

 were drenched with water sent up in geysers by the big wings 

 of the bat, we stood by it. At one time the 'critter' in its 

 frenzy started for the skiff, threatening to demolish it. We 

 looked for a ducking at least, but the thing dove under the 

 boat, striking it with one of its big pectoral fins, or wings, and 

 we escaped demolition. The buoy barrel was drawn under the 

 skiff, and it is yet a mystery why it did not strike us a fearful 

 blow, so rapidly was it ploughing the water. 



"After about thirty minutes of this sort of a fight we saw 

 that it would be impossible to kill the bat single-handed, and 

 the launch was sent for the Comfort and for another harpoon. 

 When the launch returned one of its occupants threw the 

 harpoon into the bat, and we then had two irons fast to it. 

 Then came another fast ride and still fiercer fighting. But 

 two boats and a barrel buoy were more than the bat could 

 drag through the water for any great length of time, and after 

 circhng and fouling the three Unes the bat sank to the bottom 

 and defied our efforts to dislodge it. We pulled and pulled, 

 and then pulled again, both with the launch engine and our 

 arms, but we might as well have been hitched onto the moon, 

 so far as our being able to lift the fish was concerned. We 

 then sent the launch after the Comfort, and on her arrival on 

 the scene of the conflict we hitched the harpoon lines to the 

 Comforfs stern; and then came the tug of war. The fish finally 

 had to give up and was slowly dragged to the beach where the 

 free ends of the lines were passed on shore, and about twenty 

 Mexicans and the Comfort's crew hauled the thing onto the 



