372 Big Game Fishes 
a shark, like a hound, would follow it up and rise 
from the sea, shaking the fish in one’s very face. 
I have had them on the extreme outer Florida 
reef, about my boat by the dozen, chasing the 
large barracuda that I had been playing, snatch- 
ing it from the line, leaving me the head, perhaps, 
as a reminder that they were not altogether 
graceless. So plentiful were they, that I often 
fished for them single-handed, or with a compan- 
ion, in a small boat; under such conditions a ten 
or twelve foot shark has the advantage, and on 
the Florida reef I frequently cut away, rather 
than be towed out to sea by some unseen 
monster. 
Shark-fishing is a legitimate sport if the par- 
ticipator will approach the game fairly, and some 
of the most exciting days of my life have been 
passed on the Florida Keys or at the mouth of 
the St. Johns River in the shad season, where, 
alone, I endeavored to master large sharks; and I 
can commend the exercise to the man of seden- 
tary pursuits. 
There are two sharks which, in their play when 
hooked, are remarkable imitations of certain game 
fishes which deserve the attention of anglers. 
One of these is very common at Aransas Pass, 
