The Duel 



white churned spume high in air, came together as 

 only bodies weighing two hundred or three hundred 

 pounds can, when impelled by animate vibrant engines 

 of unknown power; came together and remained 

 there, whirling, tossing, tail in air, rolling over and 

 over, twisting, writhing, bending like blades of steel, 

 waving, fanning the spray-filled air until the myriad- 

 hued ocean whose every move caught the splendid 

 tints of the cliffs, looked like the center of some 

 strange volcanic disturbance, in which flashed the fins 

 and dim forms of Turner's masterpiece the slave 

 ship. The sole and silent looker-on perceived that the 

 long slender fish had pierced the other ; the sword had 

 entered the cheek near the eye, coming out near the 

 gills, and the terrific efforts on the part of the fish, its 

 bounds and twisting to unsheath the sword, was 

 accomplished only after a struggle of several minutes. 

 The larger swordfish, wounded to the quick, was in 

 no sense discouraged, and as it wrenched itself away, 

 it dragged the other over and, turning like a flash, 

 struck it from the side a lateral blow. Both fishes 

 now shot away and began the circling, playing for 

 time and opportunity, then again came together, 

 partly leaping out of the water, separating, giving 

 mighty side blows, and then out of the red-stained 

 water one broke and fled, the other following to 

 repeat the struggle, charging some distance off, then 

 disappeared. I discovered the largest of these fishes 

 a few days later on the sand, where it had been 



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