THE CAPTAIN'S YARN. 169 



least, it is doubtful who will be master ! It is this 

 renders salmon-fishing so gloriously superior 

 spoiling us for all minor work, reducing other 

 fishing to mere child's-play, and leaving it to be 

 tolerated only because better is not within reach. 

 But talking of the strength of fish and hard fight- 

 ing wait, I do believe I have it in my pocket ; 

 yes, here it is a copy of the Captain's own letter. 

 I'll read it to you: 



"An Account of the Capture of a Saw -fish by Cap- 

 tain Wilson of the Halifax Packet West India 

 man, off Trinidad, on the \5th of April, 1839. 



" Being in the Gulf of Peru, in the ship's cutter, 

 I fell in with a Spanish canoe, manned by two 

 men, then in great distress, who requested me 

 to save their lives and canoe. Going along-side 

 for that purpose, I discovered that they had got a 

 large saw-fish entangled in their turtle-net, which 

 was towing them out to sea, and (but for my 

 assistance) they must either have lost their canoe 

 or their net perhaps both which were their only 

 means of subsistance. Having at the time, only 

 two boys with me in the boat, I desired the 

 Spaniards to cut the fish away, but which they 

 declined. I then took the bight of the net from 

 them, and by the joint endeavours of themselves 

 and my boat's crew, we succeeded in hauling up 

 the net, and to our astonishment, after great 



