234 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



boat, men, and row towards it and perhaps it will 

 drop the fish," I said, and, by this means, I wound 

 in about 100 yards, the beast looking straight at 

 us the while and holding the fish as a dog would 

 that wished to carry it. He was so holding it 

 when he disappeared again, to make my winch 

 rattle, but not quite to the same tune, as the men 

 rowed with all their might that the line might not 

 all be lost when the break should come. The next 

 appearance of the animal was not more than fifty 

 yards away so he must have made a turn towards 

 us; or where was the 150 yards of line? His big 

 eyes seemed to say : " I know I have stolen the fish 

 and I intend to keep it ; so row along and leave me 

 undisturbed," and there he waited for our decision 

 while I was busy winding in the slack. There 

 must have been some little pull upon his jaws from 

 this but he took no notice for at least a minute and 

 by that time I had my loose line in ; then he 

 showed he felt my pulling and went down again, 

 and my anxiety for my line recommenced ; and I 

 should have lost it all had not the rowers pulled 

 their utmost in the direction the line was going 

 out. Again the beast showed himself, with my 

 prize still in his mouth, but as we neared him he 

 was down and off again to almost clear my reel 

 once more. Hope came to me as I wound in with 

 my utmost speed thinking the seal was coming our 

 way but my winding only brought the sinker ; the 

 trace and rubber worm were gone. No doubt the 

 sudden stoppage of his last pull was owing to the 

 lead catching between stones or rocks, thus causing 

 a break that I could not feel as the jerk would be 

 on the trace beyond the lead. Of course I was 



