THE ROYAL PURPLE GAME OF THE SEA 



followed the boat, and was easily gaffed. I hooked 

 another, a heavy fish, that did not show for two 

 hours. We were sure we had a broadbill, and were 

 correspondingly worried. The broadbill swordfish 

 is a different proposition. He is larger, fiercer, and 

 tireless. He will charge the boat, and nothing but 

 the churning propeller will keep him from ramming 

 the boat. There were eight broadbill swordfish 

 hooked at Avalon dm-ing the summer, and not one 

 brought to gaff. This is an old story. Only two 

 have been caught to date. They are so powerful, 

 so resistless, so desperate, and so cunning that it 

 seems impossible to catch them. They will cut bait 

 after bait off your hook; as clean as if it had been 

 done with a knife. For that matter, their broad bill 

 is a straight, long, powerful two-edged sword. And 

 the fish perfectly understands its use. 



This matter of swordfish chargii^ the boat is apt 

 to be discredited by fishermen. But it certainly is 

 not doubted by the few who know. I have seen two 

 swordfish threaten my boat, and one charge it. 

 Walker, an Avalon boatman, tells of a prodigious 

 battle his angler had with a broadbUl giant calcu- 

 lated to weigh five hundred pounds. This fight 

 lasted eight hours. Many times the swordfish 

 charged the boat and lost his nerve. If that pro- 

 peller had stopped he would have gone through the 

 boat as if it had been paper. After this fish freed 

 himself he was so mad that he charged the boat 

 repeatedly. Boschen fought a big broadbill for 

 eleven hours. And during this fight the swordfish 

 sounded to the bottom forty-eight times, and had 

 to be pumped up; he led the boat almost around 



43 



