74 Big Game Fishes 



water. I reeled with all my speed, knowing that 

 if I was caught on the turn with an unknown 

 amount of slack line, the end might come; but 

 fifty feet had not been gained before the tuna was 

 within fifteen feet of the boat, then seeing me it 

 turned and was away like an arrow from a bow. 

 The big reel groaned as the crash came, but the 

 brake was thrown off and my thumb played upon 

 the leather pad with rare good luck, with just 

 sufficient force to prevent overrunning. I gained 

 enough line during this spectacular performance 

 to stop the fish at three hundred feet, and held it 

 by the thread of line while it towed the boat out 

 to sea. A mile it took us, now plunging into 

 the deep heart of the channel, to rise again with 

 throbs which came on the tense line like heart- 

 beats and found an echoing response. I gained 

 ten feet to lose five, then would lose twenty to 

 recover all, and more by vigorous " pumping," as 

 the fish sulked and labored at the bottom of the 

 sea. Suddenly I felt the line humming, vibrating 

 like the cord of some musical instrument as the 

 great fish rose, and as it reached the surface with 

 a mighty swerve that gave the boatman active 

 work to keep us astern to the game, it turned and 

 again charged me. I rose, reeling rapidly as I 



