THE ROYAL PURPLE GAME OF THE SEA 



as a means of travel, but I do not incline to this 

 belief. We found many remoras inside the gills of 

 swordfish, and their presence there was evidence of 

 their blood-sucking tendencies. I used to search 

 every swordfish for these remoras, and I would keep 

 them in a bucket till we got to our anchorage. A 

 school of tame rock-bass there, and tame yellowtail, 

 and a few great sea-bass were always waiting for 

 us — ^for our discarded bait or fish of some kind. 

 But when I threw in a live remora, how these hungry 

 fish did dart away! Life in the ocean is strange, 

 complex, ferocious, land wonderful. 



Al Shade keeps the only camp at Clemente. It 

 is a clean, comfortable, delightful place. I have 

 found no place where sleep is so easy, so sweet, so 

 deep. Shade lives a lonely life there ten months 

 in the year. And it is no wonder that when a fisher- 

 man arrives Al almost kills himself in his good 

 humor and kindness and usefulness. Men who live 

 lonely lives are always glad to see their fellow- 

 men. But he loves Clemente Island. Who would 

 not? 



When I think of it many pictures come to mind 

 — evening with the sea rolling high and waves curv- 

 ing shoreward in great dark ripples, that break and 

 spread white and run up the strand. The sky is 

 pale blue above, a green sheen low down, with white 

 stars blinking. The promontories run down into the 

 sea, sheer, black, rugged, bold, mighty. The siu^ 

 is loud and deep, detonating, and the pebbles scream 

 as the waves draw them down. Strange to realize 

 that siu^ when on the morrow the sea will be like 

 glass — not a wave nor a ripple under the gray fog! 



47 



