The Leaping Sharks 377 
ing qualities. Along the mouth of the St. Johns 
and from the beaches of the Florida Keys I have 
enjoyed many a bout with these doughty ruffians 
of the deep. I once hooked a large tiger shark, 
picking it out from a school which I had baited 
around the boat, and as it started off towing the 
boat, numbers of these ugly creatures followed me, 
some on one side of the bow, some on the other, 
and others just below and not five feet from the 
surface—a menacing contingent. Out of scores 
of sharks of different kinds which I have taken in 
the Atlantic, the Mexican Gulf, and the Pacific 
I would award the palm for hard fighting and 
strength in proportion to its size to the hammer- 
head, two of which I once saw off Capes Charles 
and Henry in the mouth of the Chesapeake, 
which were not less than fifteen feet in length. 
I have hooked them in the Pacific and played 
them with the rod, but have never landed a large 
one in this way. Other anglers have played them 
longer and seemed on the very verge of victory, 
but so far as I am aware no one has conquered a 
large hammerhead with a rod. To illustrate the 
courage and pugnacity and thorough fighting 
qualities of this shark, which is a foeman well 
deserving the attention of him who delights in 
