The Hogfisb 121 



down into what had been the hold, now filled 

 with growing coral : 



" Methought I saw a thousand fearful wracks ; 

 A thousand men that fishes gnawed upon ; 

 Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl, 

 Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels. 

 All scattered in the bottom of the sea." 



This ocean garden, which flashed every tint or 

 color, was the home of the hogfish, one of the gami- 

 est of the tropical fishes and, with its long plume- 

 like fins and its coat of red, one of the most 

 beautiful. Ordinarily, fishing was had by pushing 

 the dinghy through a narrow channel, known as 

 the " five foot," the only retreat through the 

 great reef in case of sudden squall, and anchoring 

 in three or four fathoms ; but I often preferred to 

 haul my boat upon the reef on the lagoon side 

 at the ebb tide, wade out waist-deep, and climb 

 upon a coral head, or a heap of dead heads, which 

 had been piled up for the purpose, and fish stand- 

 ing in the water without the boat to alarm the 

 game. On the average summer day the sea was 

 glasslike, the heat intense, the water so clear that 

 every object upon the bottom could be seen. 

 Every head, fan, and bunch of coral was the 

 home of some gaudy or beautiful fish. The radi- 



