Luring Dolphin 249 



water under the stem, paying out line until the flying- 

 fish gleamed like a silver spot about five fathoms deep. 

 Presently a Dolphin came stealing out from beneath 

 the ship, where he had been lying in the shade, and 

 leisurely neared my bait. I saw him put his nose 

 to it, I watched him turn and take it in his mouth, 

 and when it had entirely disappeared I struck as hard 

 as I could, and caught the largest Dolphin I have ever 

 seen, whose weight was forty pounds. By using the 

 same means, I, that afternoon, caught three more 

 large Dolphin, and fully established the fact that the 

 moving lure was not essential. Afterwards I caught 

 Dolphin with a piece off one of their own bodies, cut 

 in the shape of a fish from the under side, where there 

 is a silvery sheen upon it. I shall not soon forget 

 the joy there was in the forecastle over that first catch. 

 No one expected it, but every one was hoping for a 

 breeze, in order that they might get an opportunity 

 to catch some. For we were almost at starvation 

 point, the provisions being so bad, and, moreover, 

 scurvy was just beginning to show its awful symptoms 

 upon some of us. The arrival of my fish changed 

 all that, for all hands had three meals of fresh fish, 

 and that by far the most sapid and succulent of all 

 the deep-water fish, with the possible exception of the 

 fljdng-fish, the latter being never caught at sea except 

 by the accident of its flying aboard. 



Unlike the albacore, bonito, skip-jack, and sword- 

 fish, the flesh of the Dolphin is white and full of flavour. 

 Boiled, it is better than cod, only it has the drawback of 

 being occasionally poisonous. Why or how it becomes 

 so I do not know, nor have I ever heard any theory 

 worth mentioning to account for it ; but a curious 

 belief of sailors in connection with it is interesting. 

 They firmly believe that if a piece of silver be boiled 



