CHAPTER XI 

 THE CAPTAIN WINS A WAGER 



THE Camera-man was collecting his ma- 

 chinery, while the captain and I were 

 struggling with the problem of patching 

 up a badly smashed rod, when a shout from on 

 deck brought us tumbling up from the cabin. 

 There stood Joe with the butt of our broken hoe- 

 handle rod in his hand clutching at the buzzing 

 reel from which a brand new tarpon line was 

 streaming down the river as if it were fast to a 

 motor boat. Something caused the reel to jam 

 and we were out rod, line, and reel in an instant. 

 The rod wasn't worth fixing, the tarpon had the 

 most of the line, and the reel was beyond repair 

 by anyone but the maker. Joe, who was very 

 penitent, explained that while he was waiting 

 for us he had dipped the baited hook in the water 

 just for fun and a tarpon grabbed it. 



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