298 AMERICAN GAME FISHES. 



"It is not a very large one," said I. "I will try to kill it, and 

 show the major some sport." The Sting-ray ran out some 

 twenty-five yards of line, and then went to the bottom, when it 

 stuck fast. P. took up the killick, the lines were taken in, 

 and the boat was placed over the fish, and P. punched it 

 with a pole till it started on another run of twenty yards, 

 then it stopped and was again punched and followed. Then 

 the ray started off again, towing the boat, but this exhausted 

 its strength, and I reeled it up alongside. P. turned it over, 

 belly up, with his long-handled gaff, against the side of the 

 boat, so that it could not use its tail; then with a big knife 

 he gave it several stabs in the throat and breast. The blood 

 gushed out freely, and the strength of the ray was soon 

 exhausted. Then the tail, with its formidable weapon, was 

 cut off, looking like a long black wagon whip. The fish was 

 about three feet across, and with the tail, five feet long, 

 weighed perhaps fifty pounds. 



"There, major," said P., "you can dry this tail and take it 

 home with you for a riding-whip." Then he let loose the 

 ray, and let it drift down the tide. "The Sharks will soon 

 find it; there's no better bait for a Shark than a chunk off 

 a Stingaree." 



Sure enough, the carcass had not floated a hundred yards, 

 before we saw and heard a great commotion in the water, as 

 of big fish struggling. "There," said P., "they have got it ; 

 but we had better move away a little; those Sharks will scare 

 away the Bass." 



We went round a bend in the creek, and found a wide 

 pool of rather shallow water with a small island in the 

 middle. 



"Here is a good place for Bass; but the bottom is all oys- 

 ter shells, and may cut your fine lines, but we'll give it a 

 try." He anchored in the middle of the pool, the water 

 being five feet deep on an oyster-shell bank. We threw out, 

 and in about a minute I had a strike, and found myself fast 



