74 Big Game Fishes 
water. I reeled with all my speed, knowing that 
if I was caught on the turn with an unknown 
amount of slack line, the end might come; but. 
fifty feet had not been gained before the tuna was 
within fifteen feet of the boat, then seeing me it 
turned and was away like an arrow from a bow. 
The big reel groaned as the crash came, but. the 
brake was thrown off and my thumb played upon 
the leather pad with rare good luck, with just 
sufficient force to prevent overrunning. I gained 
enough line during this spectacular performance 
to stop the fish at three hundred feet, and held it 
by the thread of line while it towed the boat out 
to sea. A mile it took us, now plunging into 
the deep heart of the channel, to rise again with. 
throbs which came on the tense line like heart- 
beats and found an echoing response. I gained 
ten feet to lose five, then would lose twenty to 
recover all, and more by vigorous “ pumping,” as 
the fish sulked and labored at the bottom of the, 
sea. Suddenly I felt the line humming, vibrating 
like the cord of some musical instrument as the 
great fish rose, and as it reached the surface with 
a mighty swerve that gave the boatman active 
work to keep us astern to the game, it turned and 
again charged me. I rose, reeling rapidly as I 
