CHAPTER XVI 
THE TARPON 
“ But lo, each wave to silver turns.’ 
— WILLIAM SHARP. 
Few anglers forget their first view of the tar- 
pon. One saw the fish make a thirty-foot hori- 
zontal leap. Another sprang aside as a large 
fish fell headlong into the boat, passing through 
the bottom. Another viewed the silver monster 
coming like an arrow over the edge of a seine and 
dodged in time to prevent a repetition of the 
tragedy which had happened before. An angler 
in a boat being towed behind a river steamer saw 
a tarpon leap over him; and still another, sitting 
on the deck of a steamer, was made a target by 
one of these fishes, which fell headlong into his 
lap. Others have had a shark rise with their first 
tarpon in its mouth, literally shaking the silver 
king in their face; and many incidents might be 
given in the yearly history of this grand’ sport, 
showing how deep an impression the initial 
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