" GLORIOUS SPORT." 337 



pose of their prey. It was a " tremendous job " to haul 

 up the twenty feet of the head-part of the fish that hung 

 downwards from the dorsal fin ; but at length they man- 

 aged to pass a chain cable over the headland made the 

 noose fast by passing it under the gills, of which there 

 are five on each side. "With sail reduced to close-reefed 

 mainsail and storm-jib," says the historian of the enter- 

 prise, "we struggled through the night. It blew more 

 than half a gale ; the sea ran literally higher than our 

 mast, and sometimes threatened to poop us, as the enor- 

 mous mass that we towed astern held us almost station- 

 ary. Although we were going dead before the wind, we 

 did not make more than three knots an hour ; and morn- 

 ing had already dawned ere, wearied beyond expression, we 

 glided once more into harbour, with our prize in tow." 



When the fish was towed ashore and measured, it 

 proved to be no less than forty-two feet in length, and 

 eighteen feet in girth. 



On the whole, we think the authority to whom we 

 owe the preceding particulars is justified in asserting 

 that "the west coast of Ireland offers. a glorious sport, as 

 far superior to any other afforded by the British Isles 

 as is fox-hunting to pigeon-slaughter ; " but then the 

 sport is adapted only for strong nerves and resolute 

 hearts ! 



