The Hogfish 121 
down into what had been the hold, now filled 
with growing coral : — 
“ Methought I saw a thousand fearful wracks ; 
A thousand men that fishes gnawed upon ; 
Wedges of gold, great anchors, heaps of pearl, 
Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels. 
All scattered in the bottom of the sea.” 
This ocean garden, which flashed every tint or 
color, was the home of the hogfish, one of the gami- 
est of the tropical fishes and, with its long plume- 
like fins and its coat of red, one of the most 
beautiful. Ordinarily, fishing was had by pushing 
the dinghy through a narrow channel, known as 
the “five foot,” the only retreat through the 
great reef in case of sudden squall, and anchoring 
in three or four fathoms; but I often preferred to 
haul my boat upon the reef on the lagoon side 
at the ebb tide, wade out waist-deep, and climb 
upon a coral head, or a heap of dead heads, which 
had been piled up for the purpose, and fish stand- 
ing in the water without the boat to alarm the 
game. On the average summer day the sea was 
glasslike, the heat intense, the water so clear that 
every object upon the bottom could be seen. 
Every head, fan, and bunch of coral was the 
home of some gaudy or beautiful fish. The radi- 
