CHAPTER IX 



THE SANTA CATALINA ISLAND SWORDFISH 



' Fisherman. Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea. 

 Master. Why, as men do a-land : the great ones eat up the little ones.' 



Perides, 



IT has been my good fortune to observe the swordfish of many 

 seas. I have seen XipMas on its spawning tour, not far 

 from Tripoli in African waters, undisturbed by the wash of the 

 ship. I have seen it in the Atlantic off Block Island and Boon 

 Island ; have harpooned at least two species in Florida, but I 

 beUeve the fish I saw one day at San Clemente Island, when 

 fishing with Dr. Giffiord Pinchot, made the strongest impression 

 on me. 



We were trolling for this game, sitting comfortably in the chairs 

 of Mexican Joe's launch, side by side and facing the stern. It 

 was a hot day in September, and there was scarcely a ripple on the 

 deep-blue ocean save where the occasional leap of the big sunfish 

 sent it into violent radiations, or the crash and subsequent foam, 

 far away, told of the leaping tuna. Thinking my bait might be 

 foul with weed, I rose, and stepping onto the little deck, reeled in. 

 As the one-pound flying fish came up out of the clear and scintil- 

 lant depths, directly at me came the biggest swordfish I had ever 

 seen, of so splendid a blue that I could compare it only to a great 

 tourmaline, melting into the ineffable labradorite hue of the 

 water. I was fascinated, hypnotized, and he came up until I 

 could have jumped onto his back or impaled myself on his sharp 

 rapier and dagger, as the upper jaw in this species of Tetrapterus 

 bears the sword, while the lower is a dagger which it carries much 



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