88 DEVIL FISHING. 



struck the day before, he made some violent runs, 

 and left us this time no doubt as to the cause ; for, 

 when drawn up, he thrust out one of his fins, still 

 bleeding, from which the tip had been just cut by 

 a shark ; his enemy, in all likelihood, being yet in 

 pursuit. I plunged the spear so deeply into his 

 body that it passed through him, and the cord 

 attached to it was drawn through my hand as he 

 ran and carried it off along with the spear. "When 

 next drawn up, I gave him a desperate wound on 

 the back with my remaining spear. He was now 

 much exhausted, and we brought him up to the 

 stern with a short rope, and attempted to draw him 

 to the land. The wind was very high from south, 

 and the fish had taken us down the centre channel, 

 abreast of Joyner's Bank, and, by setting the fore- 

 sail, and bearing him down toward the Bay Point 

 shore, I was getting the leeway for my reckoning, 

 when the rising of the squall obliged me again to 

 look for safety. The clouds seemed highly charged 

 with electricity, and came sweeping onward with 

 fearful rapidity. "While there was any chance of 

 killing the fish in time for reaching the shore in 

 advance of the storm, I held on to my play, which 

 w r ould eventually have succeeded, but night and 

 the tempest were both upon me, and I drew him 

 closer to the stern, that I might kill him at once, 



