12 ALONG THE FLORIDA REEF. 



caught the line at the notch ; " I've got the 

 hatchet, and when I'm sure he's too much for us 

 I'll cut the rope." 



But just then they heard Paublo calling to 

 them from the schooner, between his rounded 

 hands and at the top of his voice : 



" Cut de line ! cut de line ! don't let him 

 foul de line. It's a devil-fish ! " 



The boat tore along the channel at a rapid 

 rate, but as it turned a curve the excited boys 

 saw that their strange steed was rushing to its 

 own destruction, for the channel ended in a mud 

 flat. 



They were right. In its terror the great fish 

 ran up on the dead coral in about one foot of 

 water. The line slackened all at once, and the 

 boys now put out their oars and, after stopping 

 the boat's headway, pulled off to watch the 

 dying fish that was beating the water furiously. 

 Its head was fully exposed, and, as they pulled 

 in range, Dick put a load of buckshot into it 

 and ended its struggles. 



When, shortly after, the doctor and Paublo 

 were brought ashore, and they all walked round 



