244 Big Game Fishes 
Back to Paddy came this rollicking answer: — 
“Dear Paddy —I got your poetic epistle, 
Along with the hake that you sent by the mail ; 
But what could bewitch you to sing, or to whistle, 
In strains so melodious the praise of Kinsale? 
“In all baits you’re well skilled, you cod-dragging curmudgeon, 
To hook every fish, from a sprat to a whale ; 
But your lines shan’t catch me — by my soul, I’m no gudgeon 
To flounder or starve in the streets of Kinsale. 
“TI know your design is, as usual — sell — fish ; 
For catch what you will, my old boy, I’ll be bail, 
You'll jolt off to Cork your best hake and best shell-fish, 
And leave barely a claw for the town of Kinsale.” 
Texas should add the tarpon rampant to her 
escutcheon, as sooner or later the fame of this 
splendid fish and the remarkable fishing found 
along her shores will become one of the prime 
attractions of this region. That I might speak 
from first hand and describe the capture of the 
Texas tarpon from actual experience, I made the 
trip to the Gulf coast in July and August, 1902, 
finding the fishing at Aransas Pass far beyond 
my expectations, and what was more surprising, 
the grounds tempered by a cool breeze which 
made the sport enjoyable and in every way satis- 
factory. 
