Big Game at Sea 



"How heavy are they?" I asked, thinking of 

 possibilities. 



" Three or four tons," replied Chief sententiously. 



This answer was unsatisfactory to some of the 

 party, so we hauled close in shore near Long Key, 

 where we listened to the explosions, as they seemed 

 to be nothing else, caused by the crash of the return 

 of the leaping fish. A school of sea-vampires, sea- 

 bats, or devil-fish, as men call them, had wandered 

 into the lagoon. I knew them by reputation and 

 hearsay, but never had seen one alive; and when I 

 announced that I was going to take one on the follow- 

 ing day, if they were still there, the boys, as the 

 negroes were called, all protested. 



" Why, marster, one of dem vampas yander is 

 twenty feet wide, 'deed he is. Five years ago a 

 schooner, seventy-ton burden, was layin' jes offen de 

 pint yander; de capten had dun gone ashore an 7 all 

 de crew 'ceptin' de cook was a-pickin' micramocs out 

 on de reef, jes ober yander wha yo' see de ole wrack 

 a-layin'; yes, sah, jes yander under de sudden cross. 

 All at once dey hear de cook a-hailin' an' screamin' 

 jes lak he crazy, an' lookin' up, dere was de schooner, 

 sails furled, anchor down, a-sailin' outen de channel. 

 De cook he ran 'bout lak he crazy; he don' want to 

 jump overboard cause he 'fraid of de sharks, so he 

 jes natchally yelled; an' de schooner sail on fo' half 

 a mile, den stop, an' de men what had been fol- 

 lerin' dim' board. What done it? Why, de vampa 



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