78 Big Game Fishes 



more than once seen them die suddenly, and a 

 few moments after a desperate rush come up 

 again dead. I have been one of three anglers 

 to battle with a tuna five hours. This fish, 

 though sorely wounded, towed the boat an esti- 

 mated twenty miles ; and had we not, seeing that 

 night was coming on, and that we were out of 

 sight of Avalon in an open boat, hauled it in 

 by hand, I am confident that the fish, which 

 weighed but one hundred and twenty-five pounds, 

 might have towed us across the Santa Catalina 

 channel or for an indefinite distance. Another 

 tuna fought Mr. W. Woods and boatman fifteen 

 hours and then escaped. Yet other fishes are 

 caught in from thirty minutes to an hour. Dur- 

 ing the season of 1902 Judge Beaman of Denver, 

 Colorado, fought a tuna of unknown size, which 

 towed the twenty-two-foot launch from near 

 Avalon, across the channel, to the vicinity of 

 Point Firmin, an estimated twenty-one miles, 

 in six hours and a half. The fish was lost at 

 the gaffing ; the line had chafed off at the swivel. 

 Many tunas, as stated, are caught in a short 

 time; but, as a rule, such fish are in poor con- 

 dition, or have just spawned, and lack their nor- 

 mal vigor. 



