THE FIRST TARPON 



streams and bays of the west coast of Florida 

 from Charlotte Harbor south. The fisherman's 

 skiff was anchored fifty or more feet from some 

 deep hole in river or bay into which his bait was 

 cast. A dozen yards of the line was reeled off 

 and coiled loosely on the thwart beside the fish- 

 erman, while the rod was laid across the skiff. 

 The experienced fisherman then examined his 

 basket to see that pipe and tobacco were con- 

 veniently placed, that his favorite book was at 

 hand and the other volume that closed with a 

 cork was not too far away. 



It was the vacation time of the fisherman, and 

 would last till the coming of the tarpon, which 

 might be in an hour, a day, a week, or never. I 

 have known fishermen to come four thousand 

 miles for successive seasons to catch a tarpon, 

 without getting a single strike. While the fish- 

 erman read or dozed, his boatman from time to 

 time threw fragments of mullet into the water 

 near the hole where the bait was lying. When 

 it happened that the line began to move and the 

 coil on the thwart to diminish there was excite- 

 ment in the skiff. The boatman quietly took in 

 the anchor and with oars in hand was ready to 



19 



