86 THE ENGLISH ANGLER LN FLORIDA viii 



mighty blow between the eyes with an axe then settled him, 

 and the next business was to get him home. The illustrations 

 indicate the manner in which the cargo was moved and 

 secured. Ultimately we laid the fish across the bows of my 

 sailing boat, and I had to beat back to Fort Myers, a matter 

 of miles against a head wind and rough water. The voyage 

 was made all the more difficult by the weight of the saw-fish, 

 which often caused the nose of the boat to dip inconveniently 

 into the waves. At Fort Myers we transferred the fish to a 

 smaller boat (see illustration), and then came the hauling of it 

 up to the verandah, where it was photographed, with the proud 

 captor by its side. It will be noticed that his rod and tackle 

 were those ordinarily used for tarpon, and wonderfully light 

 for such heavy work. The saw was cut off for preservation, 

 and the carcase left upon the wharf Thither came all and 

 sundry armed with knives wherewith to cut off strips of skin 

 to keep in ineinoriam. The length and weight of this monster 

 are stated in the Diary. 



It was not my privilege to see a still larger fish, but I 



A Huffe heard of it, and was presented by an American 



Jew-Fish, gentleman with a photograph in which it appears 



with much distinction. The recorded weight of this gigantic 



