THE MARLIN OR SPEARFISH 



teaser pole, which had been carelessly 

 thrown on top of the deck house and was 

 foul of the mast, caught "Shorty" in the 

 back as the boat rolled and catapulted him 

 into the sea. He climbed back on board a 

 very wet and surprised sailorman for he did 

 not know what had hit him. 



We soon found the floating kelp and the 

 jumping small fry and had not been troll- 

 ing more than a quarter of an hour before 

 we ran into a school of marlin. Four or five 

 rushed after the teaser and pulled the pole 

 overboard. It went bobbing away astern, 

 first disappearing entirely, then shooting 

 straight up on end. This happened several 

 times in a most comical manner before the 

 fish disconnected the flying-fish from the 

 line to which it was made fast. 



A moment later a marlin took my bait, 

 I hooked him, and the music began again. 

 The fish emerged with beak open and shook 

 himself, then rushed on top of the water 

 for one hundred yards and jumped clear 



[87] 



