SEVEN MARLIN SWORDFISH IN ONE DAY 



hands and pointed it where I expected something 

 wonderful about to happen. 



The water on the right, close to the stern, bulged 

 and burst with a roar. Upward even with us, above 

 us, shot a tremendously large, shiny fish, shaking 

 and wagging, with heavy slap of gills. 



Water deluged the boat, but missed me. I act- 

 ually smelled that fish, he was so close. What must 

 sm-ely have been terror for me, had I actually seen 

 and realized the peril, gave place to flashing thought 

 of the one and great chance for a wonderful picture 

 of a big swordfish close to the boat. That gripped 

 me. While I changed the focus on my camera I 

 missed seeing the next two jumps. But I heard the 

 heavy sousing splashes and the yells of Dan and 

 R. C, with the shrill screams of the ladies. 



When I did look up to try to photograph the next 

 leap of the swordfish I saw him, close at hand, mon- 

 strous and animated, in a surging, up-sweeping 

 splash. I heard the hiss of the boiling foam. He 

 lulled away, churning the water like a sudden whirl 

 of a ferryboat wheel, and then he turned squarely 

 at us. Even then Captain Dan's yell did not warn 

 us. I felt rather than saw that he had put on full 

 speed ahead. The swordfish dove toward us, went 

 under, came up in a two-sheeted white splash, and 

 rose high and higher, to fall with a cracking sound. 

 Like a flash of light he shot up again, and began 

 wagging his huge purple-barred body, lifting him- 

 self still higher, until all but his tail stood ponder- 

 ously above the surface; and then, incredibly power- 

 ful, he wagged and lashed upright in a sea of hissing 

 foam, mouth open wide, blood streaming down his 



211 



