354 Life in the Open 



perfect distinctness ; and those who know, see that the 

 ebb and flow of animal life is similar to that of Naples 

 and the Mediterranean. 



As the anglers sit and watch the drift in this float- 

 ing throng some one raises a shout, and from the 

 throats of the people in the yellowtail city comes a 

 roar ; shattering all the ethics of angling, as the man 

 who has hooked a fish is encouraged in loud and joy- 

 ous tones by every one else ; there is no trace of envy 

 here, and voices shout, "Good boy!" "Give it to 

 him ! " " Go in and win ! " and other consoling phrases 

 well known to anglers. 



The victim takes it pleasantly as he is in the float- 

 ing village by choice, and there are sixty miles of shore 

 where he can fish alone ; so he plays his game and is not 

 " rattled " by the roars of advice. 



Glance at this game and its play. The lucky angler 

 has a light rod weighing not over ten ounces, a line 

 known to the trade as a number nine. He is in one 

 hundred feet of water and has hooked a yellowtail 

 weighing at least seventeen pounds. Will he land it ? 

 That is the question. If cheering and vociferous en- 

 couragement be an aid, he will. The fish has taken 

 one hundred feet at the start ; the rod is bent into a 

 suggestive curve, and the reel is making music that 

 is heard high above the noise. He has tossed off his 

 painter, and the fish is towing the light skiff out into 

 the channel, making for deeper water. Every now 

 and then the reel sounds as the yellowtail makes a 



