302 BLUE-FISHING. 



dozen new motions to the old ones. It wobbles 

 .and twists, and bobs and bounces in the most in- 

 comprehensible way, and unless a man is accustomed 

 to the performance he will find it impossible to keep 

 his feet through it. While the chum was being 

 cut and sent overboard by one of the men, and 

 before the fish had a chance to collect, the Commis- 

 sioner drew upon his stores of reminiscences again. 

 " I remember," he said, " that the nearest I ever 

 came to falling overboard happened while I was 

 out in the ocean at anchor chumming, and I think 

 very near this spot. I was standing on the deck 

 and stooped over to make my line fast to a cleat 

 or something of that sort, when the yacht took a 

 sudden lurch and pitched me forward. There was 

 nothing for me to catch hold of and no way of 

 saving myself the moment I had lost my balance. 

 I had just a second to think as I was going, and I 

 remember how well I took in the situation. We 

 had seen several sharks about, their back fins having 

 been visible close to the boat only a few minutes 

 before. I am not afraid of sharks as a general 

 thing, and do not believe in their biting any one in 

 our northern waters, but the idea of being sent 

 among them so unceremoniously was far from 

 pleasant. Then the water looked so clear and deep, 

 I could see the bottom, and felt sure I should go 

 there, as I knew I would be pitched overboard 

 headforemost. I even wondered how long it would 

 take me to come up to the surface afterwards, and 

 how much it would cost to repair my three hundred 

 dollar Jurgensen watch." 



