THE CAMERA-MAN'S DAY 



canoe was nearly capsized in the fray and water 

 had come aboard till only an inch of freeboard 

 was left, but there was plenty of time for bailing, 

 for the tarpon had escaped. 



"Where's your fish?" asked the Camera-man, 

 as he thrust a plate-holder in place. For reply 

 the captain held up a tarpon hook, straight as 

 the wire from which it had been made. It was a 

 hook of high degree, but had not been properly 

 tempered and by a curious coincidence the next 

 tarpon that rose to my lure broke a similar hook 

 as if it had been glass. 



"I hope the next fish will be yours," said the 

 captain. "My hands are so sore that I can hard- 

 ly hold a paddle." 



The next instant he was standing up in the 

 canoe that he might take the line in faster from a 

 tarpon that had struck and was coming straight 

 for us. It must have been a relative of the first 

 fish of the day for with expanded gills and wide- 

 open jaws it sprang straight for the captain's 

 face. How it happened that the fish fell outside 

 and we didn't capsize I couldn't see, for I had to 

 get busy with anchor and paddle for the long 

 fray. I knew the Camera-man had got in his 



