The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-02


help. Again and again tho enemy CHI rged upon
him. each time piercing the boat. which was
fast filling with water. Some men at n distance
saw hts predicament and went 10 bis aid rhe
ma'evolent bsh att ,cked them also, and II WIS
only with great difhcultY that they were cna-
bied, ~ beating tne water with their oars and
shouting. to drive II away aud rescue the old
man.
Though our watch ~ kept up vieilantly for
some time longer, we fail to discern another
swordhsh, and rs the wind Is steadily increasing
and the waves growing moro and more rough,
our chances for the day are becoming too inan
ltessiDai to render IL worth our whiletto remain
more drop anchor In the lee of the long break
water that runs out from New ShOrebam As
the next day Is SUNDAY, we remain az quiet and
from the bottom ~ the little basin will permit
Us until Monday morning. Scarcely breath Of
on us as we drift slowly out past the break water
and into the open sea. About noon, ne we lie
above the water Two points gu the weather
bowl" shouts the man At the masthead. Keep
cessiye orders; Lightly and easily the trim little
smack obeys her helm. Me.are running square,
ly down upon the nsh. Skiuper Slate stands up.
right with hts his thrteen-fOot spear poised In
hts light band. There Ia a moment OF silent ex-
pse.sncy Then tne spear darts a1wnl'ke array
a blight on his tlii-he's back bonedP'
LANDED ON DECK.
Looking over the bow see the fish lying up
against the smack ON her lee bow, his long
sword pointing upward, his white belly show
Ing Ike rift Of snow. rhe iron has struck his
backbone. and the violence OF It's shock has
momen tarily paralyzed bim. In the few sec
onus that he lies pOweriess, tho sharp gar-hook
snatches his tail, Uraws IL up so tn II the blight
OF a rope is passed over II, and Ave strong men
ATE logging at II tn drag him ON the deck. hut
In that 0rief time the Dish has recovered himself
and struggles desperltely to yet free. He
lashee the water about him into foam, dasbes
u IN spray over his enemies, almost binding
them. and brandisbes his sword IA swiftly as a
MS frantic Efforts are nnay "iIipg. The tse a."
cruel laDoe Is driven again and again into his
gills The waves are crimsoned with dis blood,
aud his struggles trow frebler Now for II,
haul him upF 10 the order ana by a few yigor-
Gus tugs he Is dragged over the side. Two men
grasp his sword and quickly saw II OF near the
he'd, where II IL soft for even vet II is danger
Gus weapon, and In nis death nJrry he might
easily break somebody's leg, " not thus dis
armed. He dies slowly ana hard, convuIsiyeiy
liitinR his huge bulk almost clear OF the deck,
and dashins himself nown again with a force
that shakes tue smack from stem to stern, while
nj Iife-current pours Ia Hood from the gaping
lance wounds.
re beautiful. His back Is ricn blue black, shad-
ing OF into 0lue, and then bronze TINT on the
sides until u meets the clear brilliant white 4
the belly. But when deid The broUze hue dis
appears, the Glue changes to gray, and he 10
simply dull black above and white beneath. His
large, blue. expressiOniess eyes are the same
aIive or dead. He Is not large for swordush
weighing only about 800 pounds before u .ess-
thsless. IL WIS well that we caught him as we
did. for the spear IRON would not have held him.
light pull drags 1t out.
WELL sPEARED.
Scarcely has the Jill been raised again and the
skiDpe compile Ell the rerigging Of his spear
when Ben 81 hts another hsh close at hand
luis one Is spesred In lne st,,c, the iron going
clear through hlm and "tugglink" ON the Oppo-
site side. HUI grisvous Is this wound. he
IN kos a gallant ngnt. Two men hold the strong
hue attached 10 the iron, STRIVING to pay IL ouI
as slowly as possible, but ne tears II through
their hands aud goes on vita n mad rush forty
OF hlty fathOms from the ok. Then he
pauses, aud they pull him In a little, but he
quickly starts aud makes another run. Again
IL ran tad. unit Ina ha
growing exhausted. Then turn OF the line Is
made around u belaying pip he Is held fast
when he tres To run, drawn In when he weak
Gus his Resistance, and finally II hauled up along
side, where he can De reached with tue lance.
nave rope hitched To his tail. and De hauled on
board to De uisdrmed ana die with such mighty
throes Us the Que before endured. he Is Of just
about Tue same size as the preceding one.
Our tnird nsn Is a huge one. Forum itely he 10
we'll ironed. and when he feels the thrust he
sesins To 40 straight down to the bottom. taking
out ninety fathoins Of line. Hat he Is stu he
last. and, after a Few moments of sulking, starts
To run. hlther aud thither he goes, one mo
ment far out or the lee of the smack, the next
dartii9 swiftly TO windwsrd. alw US subjected
to the same steady pressure from the men tug
giug AT tue other end of the hne. and always re-
sisting IL while uis strength Iasts. hut me poor
Nan, brave AS no Is, 10 al sad disaovantI ge, md
slowly Is pulled nearer aud ne ar-r to the eaff
hook, the rope-Digh and the de oily lance. IL
IL as much Ne We eau do TO haul him board.
Tue skipper guessed HE dressed weisnt to DC
$50 pounds. That me ms that as he Hes the nh
Will weigt not less tnAn 6O0 pounds for it Is esti
mated that the he I'd, ord, hns, great crescent
one-third the weglt Of the entire nsh.
THE KING FISH.
Our fourth and last ash this day Is still larger
the one. When he Is sighted the wind Is az ht and
smack does not answer her helm below prompt
ly, 90 when We near him. aud "Luf iun! 10
shouted IN Duet from both bows 1rit and mast
head. sue dOes not lun sum ciontly. Looking
over the Uow we can see the hsh gli. ing through
the water two fatnons too lar away to wind
ward for certain thrust Of the spear. nut he Is
too due n prize To lose without an effort, and the
skipper darts his spear; like hsrpoon, deep
aim have done their work we'll he great ash
goes on Ike arrow from tow, leaving be-
bind INN the spear held 10y thin cord 10 the
pulpit" tut drag ne wi hun tue stout line
liked To tine iron He IL fastened. but the skip
per fears not sufficiently 50 to stand a he wy
strain ON the line. SGould the iron be pulled
out, We would stand no chat OF ever seeing
that fish again 80 instead II hauling him up to
the smack II Is Quickly decided tnat hs must os
pursued In the open boat until he exhausls
himself, and can be lanced wherever his hunt
ers get near enough. Sam ana jim spring into
the boat the latter holds the oars and tue for
mtr' standing uprgnt In the bow grasps the
horse sraIrbt ou9 towara "a" the d ~, race
tic. lbey have undert aken a perilous feat.
They are twenty-five miles from the nearest
laud, In water a hundred fathoms dee ,. where
sharks abound; night Is coming on, they are
Gu Asing vigorous and fierce fish that IL liable
al any moment to turn upon them and hghl Tor
his life and should any accident BETA them we
would be powerless to AFFORD help. for the wind
boat belonging to the smack. They must trust
10 their own coolness and prom ptitude Of ac-
ton. III the tension oil the line siackcns they
must anticipate That the nsh l. turning upon
them, and endeivof by hauling upon IL to swsrye
him from his course. IL he moves too swiftly
for tbls. then the rover must literally pull Tor
his lie To escape the threatened snock. Once.
as we subsequently, learn, this 1sh does turn,
manifestly conteni plating an attack, but Sans
hand upon the line, strong and READY swerves
him aside with a new shock OF pain, aud AxaIn
he darts away IN terror upon his mad flight.
For an hour and n half this chase Is kept up,
and the boat Is lowed many miles at a lar great
er speed than men could ever row her. twenty
three times the hsh dives for the bottom, at
each time taking out from eighty to a hundred
fatnOlns oil line. the sun Is going down, aud at
length We can scarcely see with distinctness tue
figures of the men, SO far are they away. Then
after a time they row slowly toward the smack.
BATTLE SCARED.
They have succeeded IN drawing up the mon
steT hsb two miles from the smack, lanclng him,
escaping the fury Of hrs deuth furry, aud are
now towing MIN IN. He Is a giant among his
kind, being over fifteen feet In length, with a
back IN that rises nearly two feet, tail that
spre ads almost four feet between the points,
aud he weighs over seven hundred pounds. but
bis sword 10 not proportionately large. Doubt
less II has been an enormous one, but he has
broken II and worn Ii on, by battle III ost proba-
bly, until Il Is now sea co three feet long nd Is
ragged, hacked, anu worn along its edges His
SIDES bear the SO rs OF deadly encounters, Ap-
parently made by the swords Of his fellows aud
IN one place Is a scar that seems to have been
made by the tearing out OF All iron.
l.l n tay IVA