44: DEVIL FISHING. 



tion. We note, too, that like the great ones of the 

 earth, he is attended by a band of parasites, which, 

 unlike their prototypes of this earth, remain at- 

 tached to their patrons after they are stranded. 

 The pilot-fish, or sucking-fish (properly " remora "), 

 which followed him into shoal water, adhered so 

 closely after he was aground, that several suffered 

 themselves to be taken by the hand. 



Having satisfied our own curiosity, our next 

 thought was to satisfy that of our friends ; and we 

 hastened to dispatch our fish to Bay Point and 

 Beaufort. Transferring to our boat the two ama- 

 teurs who occupied the tender, we supplied her 

 with our anchors in addition to her own, to secure 

 her against being drifted to sea, and saw her fairly 

 off, impelled by sail and oar, with the devil-fish in 

 tow. Then, turning to examine our tackle, we 

 found it terribly in disrepair ; the rope knotted and 

 tangled, the staff splintered, the harpoon bent like 

 a reaping-hook ! We had scarcely dispatched it by 

 a runner to a neighboring smith, to be set in order, 

 when a shoal of fish were seen sporting in the chan- 

 nel abreast of us ! "Have at them," said our com- 

 panions in the second boat, as their oarsmen sprang 

 to the oars. " Wait for us let us still cruise in 

 company," cried we, in turn. We might have 

 saved our breath our companions did not heed us 



