THE ROYAL PURPLE GAME OF THE SEA 



and I dreaded the strain of this swordfishing game. 

 I needed some one to help lessen it. Besides that, 

 I needed snapshot pictures of leaping swordfish, 

 and it was obvious that Captain Dan and I would 

 have our hands full when a fish got hooked. We 

 had music, books, magazines — everything that could 

 be thought of. 



Murphy, the famous old Avalon fisherman and 

 tackle-maker, had made me a double split-bamboo 

 rod, and I had brought the much-talked-of B-Ocean 

 reel. This is Boschen's invention — one he was 

 years in perfecting. It held fifteen hundred feet 

 of No. 24 line. And I will say now that it is a grand 

 reel, the best on the market. But I did not know 

 that then, and had to go through the trip with it, 

 till we were both tried out. Lastly, and most im- 

 portant, I had worked to get into condition to fight 

 swordfish. For weeks I rowed a boat at home to 

 get arms and back in shape, and especially my hands. 

 Let no fisherman imagine he can land a fighting 

 swordfish with soft hands! 



So, prepared for a long, hard strain, like that of 

 1914, I left Avalon hopeful, of course, but serious, 

 determined, and alive to the possibilities of failure. 



I did not troll across the channel between the 

 islands. There was a big swell running, and four 

 hours of it gave me a disagreeable feeling. Now 

 and then I got up to see how far off Clemente was. 

 And upon the last of these occasions I saw the fins 

 of a swordfish right across our bow. I yelled to 

 Captain Dan. He turned the boat aside, almost on 

 top of the swordfish. Hurriedly I put a bait on 

 my hook and got it overboard, and let the line run. 



31 



