Tarpon Fishing ni Mexico. 23 



and it takes a jrooJ pull to separate their jaws from their 

 bodies. 



The bait now will not sink at all, but splashes alonif in a 

 most unnatural manner on the surface. However, before lonj^- a 

 tarpon, who must have been an agnostic with ref^ard to such 

 things as rods and lines, annexes it ; discovers thai it possesses 

 more power in its small body than a crippled nuillet should do, 

 and comes rushing out of the water just as impetuously as if he 

 was hooked. The tarpon certainly do not strike at this insult to 

 their intelligences as freely as before, but I manage to sell each of 

 my remaining mullet at the price of one splendid leap, which is, of 

 course the first, and so the greatest effort of which each fish is 

 capable. But there is an exception, for a large black bird of the 

 gull species is also interested. He doubtless believes in rods and 

 lines, and in the interfering nature of genus homo ; but at the same 

 time knows that these things have no connection with his existence. 

 With a graceful swoop he takes the bait, and flies off with it in beak 

 and claws. But he flies too fast. My reel over-runs itself, and the 

 resulting jar causes the fish to fall back into the water. I recover 

 some line, and nothing daunted he comes again, but misses. The 

 third time he has it, and I do my best to prevent a repetition of 

 the previous accident. Away he goes and up, till he has about 

 150 yards of my line, when its weight causes it to tear through 

 the lower jaw of the fish, which is no more seen. 



The other sportsmen have enjoyed themselves no less than 

 I, and Mr. C, an I-2nglishman, who is stavincr at the same hotel, 

 and has been out after tarpon for the first time, has amongst others 

 a fish 7 feet 2 inches in length, with scales 4 inches across. The 



