202 
Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
the line nearly capsizes me, and gatala makes a 
bolt. My tackle is, as the doctor says, thick 
enough to throw a buffalo, so no fear on that 
score ; and now, with a soft chuckle of delight, 
the girl lends her aid, and we pull up hand over 
hand. 
“ Aue ! ” says the little maid ; “ surely it is 
the king of all gatala , it is so heavy.” 
Whiz ! and away he goes again, nearly taking 
the line away from us ; gently now, he’s turned 
again, and we haul up quickly. Ah ! there he 
is in sight now ; a great mottled-scaled fish with 
gleams of gold along his broad, noble back. 
“ Good boy,” calls out the doctor, “stick to him,” 
and the two natives give a loud Aue ! of satis¬ 
faction as the fish comes to the surface, struggling 
and splashing like a young alligator. Bravely 
done, Vaitupu ! She stoops over the coral ledge, 
thrusts her right hand under his great gaping 
gills, and planting herself in a sitting posture, 
hangs on right bravely, although the great 
strength of the fish nearly drags her over the 
reef. Leaping from knoll to knoll over the 
distance that separates us, Gafalua comes to our 
aid, and then reaching down his great brawny, 
brown hand, he too seizes gatala under the gills, 
