TALES OF FISHES 



plainly see the gray shadow shapes, the long, sharp 

 noses, the dark, staring eyes. I reeled in to find my 

 bait gone, as usual. It was exasperating. 



We had to give up then, as darkness was not far 

 off. Sam was worried about the boat. He rowed 

 while I stood up. Going back, I saw bonefish in twos 

 and fours and droves. We passed school after 

 school. They had just come in from the sea, for 

 they were headed up the flat. I saw many ten- 

 pound fish, but I did not know enough about bone- 

 fish then to appreciate what I saw. However, I did 

 appreciate their keen sight and wariness and won- 

 derful speed and incredible power. Some of the 

 big surges made me speculate what a heavy bone- 

 fish might do to light tackle. Sam and I were dis- 

 appointed at our luck, somewhat uncertain whether 

 it was caused by destructive work of crabs or the 

 wrong kind of bait or both. It scarcely occurred 

 to us to inquire into our ignorance. 



We found the boat hard and fast in the mud. 

 Sam rowed me ashore. I walked back to camp, and 

 he stayed aU night, and all the next day, waiting 

 for the tide to float the boat. 



After that on several days we went up to the 

 flat to fish for bonefish. But we could not hit the 

 right tide or the fish were not there. At any rate, 

 we did not see any or get any bites. 



Then I began to fish for bonefish in front of my 

 cottage. Whenever I would stick my rod in the 

 sand and go in out of the hot sun a bonefish would 

 take my bait and start off to sea. Before I could 

 get back he would break something. 



This happened several times before I became so 



150 



