Tarpon Fishing in Mexico. 15 



concentrate all my energies on winding- up the reel. Even though 

 it multiplies two for one, I cannot draw in the line fast enough to 

 prevent its becoming quite slack. However, the fish is soon found 

 again, and his leaps become less frequent and less high. We are 

 now playing a steady game of tug- of war, my boatman rowing 

 against the fish and so keeping- the boat much in the same position. 

 Although not quite so fresh as when we started, I keep on pumping 

 him, i.e., I have hold of the rod with both hands just above the 

 reel, arms straight, and I put my back into it as if I was rowing. 

 When the rod reaches an almost perpendicular position, I quickly 

 lower the point, at the same time winding in a yard or two of line ; 

 the rod returns to an almost horizontal position and I pump again. 

 After about two hours of this — a tarpon should never take so long 

 with proper tackle — I get him within lo yards of the boat, and note 

 with grim satisfaction that now he can only get about three-fourths 

 of his length out of the water (III) : so I tell my boatman to row 

 to shore. The fish has a strong objection to the shallow water, so 

 I have to leave hini about 50 yards from the bank and make him 

 a present of that amount of hardly-won line. I land, thinking that 

 it will be a simple matter to |nit the rod over my shoulder, and 

 walk away from the water, lii! ni)- boatman can catch hold of the 

 piano wire and drag the tarpon up on the sand. I soon find that 

 I have reckoned without my fish. I am wearing no belt with 

 bucket attachment for the butt of the rod and sadly miss the solid 

 support of the seat in the boat for the end of the rod. The tarpon 

 is swimming about backwards and forwards 50 yards away, arul 

 absolutely declines to come any nearer to the shore, I am 

 exerting all the power I can, but have not half the infiuence I had 



