The Florida Jewfish 301 
the dinghy under, so forcible were its downward 
lunges. For several minutes it plunged and 
sounded, then I passed the slack to Paublo, who, 
as I hauled, coiled the line, making everything 
shipshape for a big rush which might be ex- 
pected. But the hand-line tactics were too much 
for the game, and I steadily gained, not without 
punishment, as the fish would ever and anon lit- 
erally shake its head, giving such sturdy, dislo- 
cating blows that my arms ached again. Finally 
it neared the surface and Paublo leaned to wind- 
ward that I might glance over and see the game 
that was putting up so desperate a fight. As I 
looked down, not twenty feet in the clear water, 
I saw my first jewfish, apparently as large as the 
dinghy, a colossus in black, with here and there 
a flash of a lighter tawny tint as it rolled and 
essayed to plunge. It must have seen me, as it 
made an upward rush, then around, whirling the 
dinghy as though on a pivot, so that she ca- 
reened viciously. This was the last. I gave 
Paublo the word, and as he backed water rapidly, 
I soon had the big game at short quarters, and 
its mighty head triced up at the surface astern, 
while a short distance away the tiger-shark swam 
lazily about, its tall dorsal cutting the water. As 
