The Black Sea-bass 113 
lateral movements of the entire body; then, when 
hauled up with the greatest possible effort, it would 
circle the boat, endangering the craft, stop and 
lash the water and impress us with its immensity. 
For nearly an hour this fish fought me, as the 
boat was so small that but one could play it; and 
had my companion not remained in the bow the 
bass would have sunk the frail craft. It was 
finally brought to the surface, and holding it with 
one hand I gaffed it with the other, when with a 
tremendous rush it was away, wrenching the gaff 
from my hand. Four or five times it repeated 
this, and when I finally held it by the gaff I could 
not kill it, so fierce were its lunges. A heavy 
swell was now coming in, and there was a rough 
point to turn at Church Rock. It was manifestly 
impossible to take the fish into the boat, so I held 
it while my companion rowed, its lunges almost 
swamping us in the seaway as we rounded the 
point. Three miles from here we met some 
fishermen, and by the aid of five men the big 
bass was hauled in, almost filling the boat and 
bringing it down to within a few inches of the 
water's edge. But the two boats convoyed us 
into port, where the big fish, which weighed 
between three hundred and four hundred pounds, 
I 
