Big Game at Sea 



of the ocean, haunting the deep rocky ledges or sub- 

 marine plateaus, where vast shoals of mackerel and 

 small fry lived, in constant terror, fleeing from it as 

 from a devouring monster. Its method of life was 

 one of rapine, murder and sudden death; the mere 

 catching of prey did not satisfy it, the sight of blood 

 seemed to fire its sodden brain with a lust for prey, 

 and sighting a school of mackerel it fired up like some 

 living engine, dashed ahead like a torpedo, and with 

 fierce strikes right and left mowed them down, and 

 amid the silvery shower again and again rushed into 

 the solid animated mass, killing for the mere insatiate 

 love of it, then circled gracefully around and picked 

 up the disembodied pieces. 



This c Burred several times a day; now on the 

 surface where every movement was visible, again in 

 deeper water where the sunlight came dimly down in 

 great bands and was intercepted by myriads of deli- 

 cate jelly-like forms that floated in it. The great 

 swordfish had few enemies, except sharks that fol- 

 lowed in the wake of schools of barracuda, tuna and 

 other schooling fishes, and to them it paid no attention 

 and they doubtless gave it ample sea room, or a single 

 thrust from this living battering ram, and the end of 

 another shark came and the beginning of a canni- 

 balistic feast. 



The swordfish had been working its way up the 

 coast and inshore, following a large school of silvery 

 smelt that were tid-bits to its choice, and as large as 



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