288 BLUE-FISHING. 



it may seem, they are widely at variance, and even 

 though they may be for the first time essaying a 

 style of fishing that they have never tried before, as 

 was the cass with Mr. Green in this instance, they 

 are firmly convinced that they know more about it 

 than one who has followed it for a lifetime. So 

 while the Commissioner was satisfied to put on a 

 gut leader that the professionals would have assured 

 him the blue-fish would take off at the first bite, 

 the Superintendent rigged a wonderful gang of 

 small hooks, such as was never seen by the un- 

 sophisticated inhabitants of the Great South Bay in 

 their lives before. The chumming having gone on 

 by the boatman for a short time, the fishing began. 

 Science was too much for the finny tribe and they 

 simply gave up, resistance under the circumstances 

 was a work of supererogation. The odds against 

 them were too overwhelming, and they opened their 

 mouths and swallowed their fate and the hooks to- 

 gether. It was impossible to say which of the 

 anglers caught the most fish where both were 

 taking them all the time. Bright, shining, gleam- 

 ing blue-fish came over the stern so fast that 

 they seemed like a long streak of silvery sunlight 

 rather than mere fish. If there were fish galore 

 before, they were more galore now, they were indeed 

 too galore. They were becoming a nuisance, and 

 as there was no evidence that either of the con- 

 templative anglers had the slightest intent of stop- 

 ping, the only question remaining was how long it 

 would be before the yacht sank under her augment- 



