96 ALONG THE FLORIDA REEF. 



wooden partitions a little, the whole mass of 

 woodwork would long since have fallen to 

 pieces. 



After Long John had arranged the contents 

 of the dinner hamper on the dry portion of the 

 deck, and the boys had enjoyed a feast of hard- 

 boiled gull's eggs, craw-fish salad, and turtle 

 balls, which caused them to unanimously confer 

 upon Paublo the title " Prince of Cooks," they 

 continued their search about the old hulk. Sud- 

 denly Tom, who was stretched out with his 

 head over the water, where he could observe the 

 fish, cried out : " My, though ! there's a queer 

 fish," and the others, crowding around him, saw 

 a large eel-like head bobbing in and out from 

 under a partly imbedded plank. " That's a 

 moray," said Long John, picking up his grains, 

 " and a big one too. Look out there ! Let me 

 take a shot at him." Lowering his spear cau- 

 tiously into the water, he suddenly jammed it 

 into the fish's head, and then, with a quick back- 

 ward motion, skillfully drew the rnoray out of 

 its hole. It was over three feet long, and as 

 thick as a man's arm. It made a terrible stru<r- 



