THE DISAPPEARING ISLAND. 151 



describing the rushes of the big fish as he had 

 seen them. 



" You are right," said his father ; " but how 

 fast they can travel would be difficult to deter- 

 mine. The speed of a salmon has been esti- 

 mated at forty feet a second. The barracuda is 

 more perfectly fitted for speed than the salmon ; 

 its long pointed head, powerful fins, and rakish 

 dorsal fin remind one of a yacht built for 

 speed." 



Though the barracuda was so easily caught 

 by the skillful handling of the grains, it is, in 

 reality, one of the most wily fish, as well as 

 gamy, to be found on the reef, and an inexpe- 

 rienced hand might fish all day without success. 

 The smaller ones, from a foot to eighteen inches 

 long, are excellent eating, and were found in 

 great numbers in the shoal waters of the key, 

 or hanging on the outskirts of schools of mullets 

 and sardines into which they would occasionally 

 dash. Tom finally became very skillful in catch- 

 ing them. He used a very fine line rigged for 

 the purpose, the hook attached by a long piece 



of the finest copper wire without a sinker. If 



11 



