The Florida Jewfisb 301 



the dinghy under, so forcible were its downward 

 lunges. For several minutes it plunged and 

 sounded, then I passed the slack to Paublo, who, 

 as I hauled, coiled the line, making everything 

 shipshape for a big rush which might be ex- 

 pected. But the hand-line tactics were too much 

 for the game, and I steadily gained, not without 

 punishment, as the fish would ever and anon lit- 

 erally shake its head, giving such sturdy, dislo- 

 cating blows that my arms ached again. Finally 

 it neared the surface and Paublo leaned to wind- 

 ward that I might glance over and see the game 

 that was putting up so desperate a fight. As I 

 looked down, not twenty feet in the clear water, 

 I saw my first jewfish, apparently as large as the 

 dinghy, a colossus in black, with here and there 

 a flash of a lighter tawny tint as it rolled and 

 essayed to plunge. It must have seen me, as it 

 made an upward rush, then around, whirling the 

 dinghy as though on a pivot, so that she ca- 

 reened viciously. This was the last. I gave 

 Paublo the word, and as he backed water rapidly, 

 I soon had the big game at short quarters, and 

 its mighty head triced up at the surface astern, 

 while a short distance away the tiger-shark swam 

 lazily about, its tall dorsal cutting the water. As 



