THE BOOK OF THE TARPON 



"It's up to us to do something," said the Cam- 

 era-man. "Shall we run the breakers and get a 

 ducking when we land, or paddle up to Gaspa- 

 rilla and try the pass?" 



"We told the sponger we were pilots and pi- 

 lots don't beach their boats, if they can help it, 

 so let's take it easy up the coast." 



Before we had made many strokes we were 

 stopped by a devil-fish which, rising to the sur- 

 face with its broad wings extended, presented a 

 living barrier to our passage, more than eighteen 

 feet wide. The wide-open mouth before the 

 bow of the canoe was big enough for us to have 

 paddled through, but we made no movement in 

 that direction. The great wings rose and fell 

 slowly, tossing water in the air with their tips, 

 while the flippers beside the monster's mouth 

 rolled and unrolled as they made and unmade 

 the curved horns which gave the creature its 

 name. 



We watched the devil-fish and the devil-fish 

 watched us. We sat quietly, afraid that if we 

 frightened him he might smash us and our craft 

 with a blow of one of those powerful wings. 

 What the devil-fish feared would happen if he 



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