TARPON TRAGEDIES 



motor boat. I yelled to Joe to back out of the 

 way, but it was quite needless for he had already 

 reversed the engine and in another second the 

 danger of cutting the line with the propeller was 

 past. For a minute the tarpon kept a straight 

 course, then after two wild leaps came back for 

 the canoe. Again it passed us, once more out- 

 ward bound, but soon jumped wildly and dashed 

 to the right, the left, and on again. 



"What's the matter with your tarpon?" asked 

 the captain. 



"Hydrophobia, I reckon; seems to hate to stay 

 in the water." 



"He's bughouse, all right, but the sharks must 

 be after him." 



The tarpon jumped again, the water boiled 

 around him and the strain on the line ceased. As 

 I wound it in there came to the surface and was 

 dragged along, the head and about a foot of the 

 body of the great tarpon which had been bitten in 

 two by some bigger fish as easily as great power 

 shears snip armor plate. I wound in the ghastly 

 remnant for a nearer view and to recover my 

 hook, but when it was almost within reach of my 

 hand there floated up from beneath it a huge 



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