298 THE DOLPHIN A SEA-SPOBTSMAN. 



fresh and more vigorous flight. It was particularly inter- 

 esting to observe that the direction they now took was 

 quite different from the one in which they had set out, im- 

 plying but too obviously that they had detected their fierce 

 enemy, who was following them with giant steps on the 

 waves, and now gaining rapidly upon them. His terrific 

 pace was, indeed, two or three times as swift as theirs, poor 

 little things! 



" The greedy dolphin, however, was fully as quick-sighted 

 as the flying-fish which were trying to elude him, for when- 

 ever they varied their flight in the smallest degree, he lost 

 not the tenth part of a second in shaping a new course, so 

 as to cut off the chase ; whilst they, in a manner really not 

 unlike that of the hare, doubled more than once on their 

 pursuer. But it was soon too plainly to be seen that the 

 strength and confidence of the flying-fish were fast ebbing. 

 Their flights became shorter and shorter, and their course 

 more fluttering and uncertain, while the enormous leaps of 

 the dolphin appeared to grow more vigorous at each bound. 

 Eventually, indeed, we could see, or fancied that we could 

 see, that this skilful sea-sportsman arranged all his springs 

 with such an assurance of success that he contrived to fall 

 at the end of each just under the very spot on which the 

 exhausted flying-fish were about to drop. Sometimes this 

 catastrophe took place at too great a distance for us 

 to see from the deck exactly what happened; but on 

 our mounting high into the rigging, we may be said to have 

 been in at the death, for then we could discover that the 

 unfortunate little creatures, one after another, either popped 

 right into the dolphin's jaws as they lighted on the water, or 

 were snapped up instantly afterwards. 



*' It was impossible not to take an active part with our 

 pretty little friends of the weaker side, and accordingly we 

 very speedily had our revenge. The middies and the sailors, 

 delighted with the chance, rigged out a dozen or twenty 



