TARPON IN FLORIDA 263 



hook, all weight having disappeared, until the guide's strong 

 language told a different tale. Being well hooked the temporary 

 slackness of the line was of no import and the fish was presently 

 landed. A day or so before I had fought a hard fight with a 

 tarpon when the line broke as he was lying exhausted on his 

 side close to the boat. It was annoying, but he had given me 

 plenty of fun and I only hope that the fish recovered thoroughly 

 before attacked by a shark, and that he soon got rid of hook and 

 line. Another tarpon qualified for a prize for jumping ; during 

 his first frantic rush he leaped clear over one of the boats, 

 passing luckily between the fisherman and his guide. As he 

 weighed probably well over 100 Ibs. it would have been a serious 

 matter had he hit either. Since landing the eleventh a fish had 

 broken my line, and I had only had that one strike in two days, 

 and therefore became anxious about the twelfth. The weather 

 now was hot, and as most of the tarpon were said to be on the 

 shallow flats feeding on crabs and basking in the sun, I gave still 

 fishing a trial at Palmetto Keys, a number of small islands just 

 north of the Captiva Pass. The bait, a large piece of mullet, 

 is thrown as far as possible from the anchored boat, a certain 

 amount of line coiled up on the seat, and nothing else is required 

 but patience, and a fish. If a tarpon moves away with the 

 bait the line runs steadily out from the boat until the coil is 

 gone and he feels the strain, when the fish will show himself by 

 jumping out of the water. The hook having been swallowed he 

 is certain to be landed if nothing breaks ; this misfortune, how- 

 ever, happened in my case and in a curious way. Part of the 

 line ran out and a tarpon jumped, not as usual straight out of 

 the water, but curled up and wriggling violently. The line 

 stopped and came in broken when reeled up. The fish probably 

 had become entangled in and snapped it when jumping. Twice 

 afterwards the line was cut by crabs, and, being valuable, we 

 gave up still fishing, but there were many tarpon about and I 

 hope that they avenged me on the crabs. The next candidate 

 for the honour of completing my dozen was a splendid fish who 

 gave a glorious display of his jumping powers, showing his 

 beautiful form seven or eight times ; being still on the hook 

 after so severe a test I was full of hope of landing him. But 

 no, when near the boat, within 6 or 7 feet, the fish gave 

 two more feeble jumps and out came the hook. A brave fighter 



