THE BOOK OF THE TARPON 



I held my head down to avoid the bushes and 

 kept the tip of my rod straight ahead near the 

 surface of the water. 



"That tarpon's a goner," said the captain. 

 "He'll smash your rod when he turns." 



But the fish didn't turn and within a hundred 

 yards the little gully opened into a river twice as 

 broad as the one we had left. We followed our 

 quarry up the stream, which spread over shallow 

 banks and wandered among the trees, until the 

 tarpon turned back. Again it entered the little 

 creek, turning so sharply that the captain had 

 trouble in following it quickly enough to keep 

 the line out of the bushes. With the rod held 

 horizontally it was impossible to keep a steady 

 strain on the line, and a series of little jerks so 

 irritated the tarpon that twice it leaped high 

 among the overhanging branches. Once would 

 probably have been enough, but twice made the 

 result certain and the tarpon struck the water a 

 free fish. Though the round was against us its 

 termination was so pretty that I called to the 

 Camera-man : 



"Wasn't that jump a beaut? Hope you got 

 it." 



180 



