Giant Fish of Florida 



difficult to imagine the object of the kingfish in throwing 

 its prey into the air. These skipjacks often skip into boats, 

 and exceedingly beautiful little fish they are, with the 

 steely blue sheen on their burnished silver coats, and their 

 amber fins and sharply-forked tail. The damaged tail-fin 

 of the swimming kingfish figured opposite struck me the 

 moment I caught it, and I came to the conclusion at the 

 time that the tail-fin had been bitten by a prowling shark 

 that the kingfish was, thanks to its lightning speed, able to 

 baulk of a more substantial meal. Of the sharks that infest 

 this coast I shall have something to say later on. They are 

 numerous and ravenous, and spare nothing, great or small. 



And now the tarpon are biting again. There are two, 

 three, four strikes ; three fish have jumped, two are fairly 

 hooked. The excitement grows. 



" Hi, you, sir ! reel up there. Can't you see you have 

 fouled that lady's line ? Cut your line tell you you have no 

 fish on at all just cut your line ! " 



" Pull like hell ! " shouts some one to his guide, as his 

 tarpon rushes in towards him. 



" Pick up that chair, Bill," cries the guide, a minute later. 

 " My gent's fallen out got to tow him ashore. There goes a 

 rod broken at the butt." 



" Lend us an oar, Sam ; mine's smashed." 



" Come and get it yourself," sings out the courteous Sam. 



" Can't ; got a fish on." 



65 



