The Florida Jewfish 299 
various incidents more or less racy, dragged, I 
fear, from the deep, unfathomable recesses of his 
imagination. One story apparently was true. 
A tiger-shark had leaped after a swimmer climb- 
ing aboard a yacht and had carried him down. 
The shark was plainly seen moving about, eight 
or ten feet away, doubtless awaiting the rejecta- 
menta of the culinary department. I baited with 
a live yellowtail, as dainty and alluring a three- 
pound fish as could be found on the reef, and 
almost before it had reached the bottom, the line 
stiffened out in a steady strain—3in my experi- 
ence the typical strike of the shark. I waited for 
the line to run out, but the shark evidently was 
peacefully swallowing the bait; then I saw it ris- 
ing out of the depths dimly against the blue, and 
thinking that it was coming to the surface, struck 
with all my strength. No shark, nearly every 
kind of which I have caught, ever hurled back 
so sturdy a defiance. It was irresistible, and the 
line tore through the water with the peculiar 
hissing sound which carries a fascination with it. 
Fifty yards clear away the fish dashed, before it 
could be stopped, and all this time the tigef-shark 
was slowly rising, plainly not a party to the pro- 
ceedings. I was in a light dinghy, my man cast 
