HOOKING A DEVIL! 295 



themselves. Great Scot ! what a plunge 

 and a jump ! the latter opening my eyes to 

 the fact that it was not a salmon, but a 

 veritable " devil " I was hitched to, and 

 my knife was reached for, to cut the line 

 and let him go. No knife ! that was a deuce 

 of a go ! left in my coat on the vessel ! So 

 there was no alternative but to fight it out 

 or lose the whole gear line and grains, 

 which then I was not prepared to do ; so I 

 concluded to fight him awhile. My boat was 

 trustworthy, and, unless he got under and 

 overturned her, I did not fear his getting 

 at me. 



It was evident his sanctum had been ruth- 

 lessly invaded, and he intended making it 

 lively for his adventurous invader, so he started 

 off at railroad speed for the infernal regions, 

 out in the Gulf of Para, and directly away 

 from the ship. Fortunately, there was a 

 small piece of canvas in the boat, with which 

 I was able to seize the line, as he was rushing 

 it out, and thus, by checking it, helped to 

 speed the boat, so that she had headway 

 enough, when the fastened portion was reached, 

 not to snap it. At the time she was moving 



