TALES OF FISHES 



too, and too far back for me to see. I let him run 

 fifty feet, threw on the drag, and struck hard. No 

 go! I missed him. But agaiu I threw oflE the drag, 

 let out more line back to him, and he took the bait 

 the fourth time, and harder than ever. I let him 

 rim perhaps a hundred feet. All the time, of 

 course, my boat was running. I had out a long line 

 — ^two hundred yards. Then I threw on the drag 

 and almost cracked the rod. This time I actually 

 felt the hook go in. 



How heavy and fast he was! The line slipped off 

 and I was afraid of the drag. I threw it off — ^no 

 easy matter with that weight on it — and then the 

 line whistled. The sailfish was running straight 

 toward B.'s boat and, I calculated, should be close 

 to it. 



"Sam," I yelled, "watch him! If he jumps, he'U 

 jump into that boat!" 



Then he came out, the biggest sailfish I ever saw, 

 and he leaped magnificently, not twenty yards back 

 of that boat. He must have been beyond the lines 

 of the trolling anglers. I expected him to cross 

 them or cut himself loose. We yelled to B. to steer 

 off, and while we yelled the big sailfish leaped and 

 leaped, apparently keeping just as close to the 

 boat. He certainly was right upon it and he was 

 a savage leaper. He would shoot up, wag his head, 

 his sail spread like the ears of a mad elephant, and 

 he would turn clear over to alight with a smack 

 and splash that we plainly heard. And he had out 

 nine hundred feet of line. Because of his size I 

 wanted him badly, but, badly as that was, I fought 



him without a drag, let him run and leap, and I 



8ie 



