92 DEVIL FISHING. 



which he drew out until lie readied the bottom ; 

 leaving us the toil of drawing him again to the sur- 

 face. "We had on board a large iron hook and 

 tiller made expressly for such service (the hook, 

 however, being without a barb), and on his next 

 appearance I plunged it into the fish, and passed it 

 over to one of the boatmen, directing him to hold 

 on. Then arming myself with a large knife (for he 

 still struggled vigorously), I passed my arm over 

 the gunwale of the boat, and began to strike him 

 with this new weapon, as he lay a foot or so 

 beneath the water. Suddenly, my hand was para- 

 lyzed, and the reader will understand my feelings 

 when looking into the water, I found that the devil- 

 fish had seized my arm with one of his feelers, and 

 pressed it powerless against his body! "He stays 

 my arm pleads for mercy appeals like an intelli- 

 gent creature to my humanity," was my first 

 thought. " He has bound me to his fate," was the 

 startling conviction that dispelled that first thought, 

 and revealed to me the imminent peril in which I 

 stood. A fate worse than Mazeppa's will be mine 

 if he breaks loose again ! "For God's sake, boys, 

 hold on ! He has clutched my arm, and if he runs 

 again for bottom, my life goes with him !" How 

 long then seemed to me those few brief moments 

 of uncertainty ; but they are past, his force is 



