The Black Sea-bass 113 



lateral movements of the entire body ; then, when 

 hauled up with the greatest possible effort, it would 

 circle the boat, endangering the craft, stop and 

 lash the water and impress us with its immensity. 

 For nearly an hour this fish fought me, as the 

 boat was so small that but one could play it; and 

 had my companion not remained in the bow the 

 bass would have sunk the frail craft. It was 

 finally brought to the surface, and holding it with 

 one hand I gaffed it with the other, when with a 

 tremendous rush it was away, wrenching the gaff 

 from my hand. Four or five times it repeated 

 this, and when I finally held it by the gaff I could 

 not kill it, so fierce were its lunges. A heavy 

 swell was now coming in, and there was a rough 

 point to turn at Church Rock. It was manifestly 

 impossible to take the fish into the boat, so I held 

 it while my companion rowed, its lunges almost 

 swamping us in the seaway as we rounded the 

 point. Three miles from here we met some 

 fishermen, and by the aid of five men the big 

 bass was hauled in, almost filling the boat and 

 bringing it down to within a few inches of the 

 water's edge. But the two boats convoyed us 

 into port, where the big fish, which weighed 

 between three hundred and four hundred pounds, 



