32 DEVIL FISHING. 



behind us, and Hilton Head again approaches, but 

 it is the eastern face of the island that now presents 

 itself. The breakers of the Gaskin Bank begin to 

 loom in our horizon, and this is done against wind, 

 tide and oar ! A doubt of capturing the fish began 

 now to steal over our minds, and show itself in our 

 faces ; our means of assailing so powerful an an- 

 tagonist, were too inadequate; nothing remained 

 but to bouse on him once more, and endeavor to 

 dispatch him with the weapons that remained to 

 us. Three fresh hands took the rope, and after 

 giving him a long run to weary him to the utter- 

 most, we succeeded in drawing him to the surface. 

 He lay on his back without motion and we looked 

 on victory as certain. The socket of the harpoon 

 appeared sticking out, from the lelly of the fish : 

 the whole shank was buried in his body. "We saw 

 neither tail nor head, nor horns, nor wings no- 

 thing but an unsightly white mass, undistinguished 

 by member or feature. After a moment's pause, 

 to single out some spot for a mortal blow, I plunged 

 the lance, socket and all, into the centre of this 

 white mass. The negroes who held the line of the 

 harpoon took a turn round the gunwale, to prevent 

 its slipping. The boat lurched with the swell of 

 the sea and the moment the dead weight of the 

 fish, unsupported by the water, was felt, the har- 



