FLORIDA AND THE WEST INDIES 141 



the bait and to all intents and purposes hook them- 

 selves might surely be played on salmon-tackle, 

 and what sport they would give, to be sure! In 

 somewhat shallower water in Jamaica they kill 

 tarpon of the weight suggested on salmon-tackle, 

 and I do not see why a little extra depth should 

 put it out of action. At any rate, one killed in 

 this fashion, taking perhaps a minute for every 

 pound of its weight, would be infinitely more 

 enjoyable, than a score butchered in the orthodox 

 way. That, I imagine, needs no argument. There 

 are even occasional small tarpon, which would 

 without any doubt whatever give admirable sport 

 on the lighter gear. The worst of it is that, in the 

 Pass at any rate, no one knows where to find them 

 in preference to those of heavier build, for they all 

 feed together and on the same grounds. Thus, 

 one moonlight evening I caught a beautifully- 

 shaped little tarpon of only 18 Ibs., as game a 

 little fish as I would wish to have on my bass-rod 

 at home. I have since regretted not having had 

 it mounted, as it exhibited all the characters of the 

 species to perfection and on a miniature scale far 

 more convenient for the walls of a modest residence 

 than the giants usually set apart for the purpose. 

 Within a few minutes, and at a distance of no more 

 than a few yards from where I had hooked the 

 baby, Ramsbottom was fast in an immense fish of 

 1 60 Ibs., which was as a matter of fact, foul-hooked, 

 and therefore endowed with fighting efficiency far 



f~bove its weight had it been hooked in the mouth, 

 'he fish got his boat under tow, and he quickly 

 anished out of sight of the rest of us, as the 

 orizon of moonlight on the water is not a very 



