86 Recreations of a Sportsman 



of about two miles an hour. Again I " gave it 

 the butt," just to see if it would notice it, and 

 for a few seconds the line held; but I doubt if 

 the ancient giant knew that it was supposed to 

 be hooked. In any event, the line chafed off 

 again, and then, wishing to have an opportunity 

 to see at short range so large a fish, and if pos- 

 sible learn how it used its remarkable fins in 

 swimming (data regarding which is lacking), we 

 decided to attempt its capture, alive, uninjured, 

 and out of hand. 



Hammond started the engine and we rushed 

 at the fish. As we ran alongside I seized the 

 enormous fin, bent it over the rail, to obtain 

 leverage, and told the boatman to gaff the fish 

 in the top of the muscular dorsal fin, where it 

 would do no injury, which he did, notwithstand- 

 ing the violent struggles of the fish, as for 

 the first time it seemed to realize that it was in 

 the toils, making a rush which nearly brought the 

 rail of the eighteen-foot power launch down to 

 the water's edge, and only by the best of luck 

 did we hold to the short gaff. The monster ap- 

 peared, in fact, to be waking up in a progressive 

 fashion, every moment increasing its struggles, 

 and in a short time would have been off had not 

 the boatman taken two half-hitches about the 

 gaff with the anchor rope. 



This was hardly accomplished before the moon- 

 fish concluded to really awake and look to its 



