Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-24
CHASING THE SWORDFISH.
happening n Dangerous Monster O
the Deep.

happening n Dangerous Monster of
the Deep.
"Tve got standin' offer Of 500 for the first
young dish can git" said a Cape Cod sword
fisherman to correspondent writing from
Hyannis, Cape Cod. YOU'D think" he con-
tinued, THAT that was hefty sort of an offer.
when the fish is only bringn s cents pound,
but, We see. there's never been a so'dfsh seen in
American waters less nor 40 pounds. and only
one at that. Where do they breed? Wall. that's
the very pint. They don't breed-leastwise
around these -dggns. I've been sO'dhshing
around the south of the cape gon' on 20 years
and never see one less nor foot long. and I've
took thousands of EN-"
Eyes. it's big business. I don't know Jest
how many are in it, but you kin count 40 or 50
sail right round here that makes it pint to
take all they kin git. July August and Sep
TENDER is the best months. and between the fust
and 18th of September in warm seasons I've
done pretty well and caught as many as II in a
day, but that was extraordinary work. We hev
regular rig; jest step aboard" and the repOrter
who had been talking from the edge of the dock.
accepted the invitation and jumped aboard the
trim fore and aft schooner that, with its sharp
DOW and rakish mast, was not incompatible to
the jaunty fish it followed
'Iheres not very mucn torrery to sneak Of !"
SAID the skipper. walking forward There,
You see, IS the place where the man stands in
STRIKING the 1sh-merely an iron stancheon eX-
tending mp from the end of the bowsprit with
resting pad of wood nailed to it, so the man can
lean against it in striking. The harpoon is called
lily. and is always kept dashed near the rest.
all ready. you see, for an emergency.
NARROWING swORDFIsH
"Why lily? Wall, the prOngs are branched
out something like flower. There are five or
six, all barbed, and the whole things ends in an
iron cap that fits into a wooden handle about
10 foot long. line is made fast to the iron
that is about 200 feet long, the other end being
fastened to key or barrel. When we're out
to sea, the watch is always in the foretop, and
as soon as he sees fish he sings out and the
harpooner takes his place in the rest, and as
soon as the man at the wheel gifts sight of the
fish. he tries to put it over the bow: then the
man jams her with the iron; the line is kept
clear and, when it all runs out the keg is
tossed over for the fish to tow until tired out,
and the schooner keeps away for another fish,
Sometimes five or six are sighted and struck
before any are taken in. The kegs are
generally painted white and easily followed,
and you usually don't have much of a
fight with the fish, as towing the key
a mile plays EN- out. But sometimes
we git big fellow on and then there's
what green hands call fun, though don't see
it in that light 1 call to mind one fish we
struck of Nantucket year or so ago, that KEN
near cleann' us all out. We got on to him all
right and followed close up, nothin' else ben'
In sight. and me and two Of the boys jumped
into the GOry and soon he'd the key aboard; but
as soon as we touched the rope to take in slack
he started off, and you'd thought we'd run
foul OF whale. ItwaS an hour before we got the
hsh alongside. the schooner keepin' on and by.
but we were afraid of passing the rope. thinkin'
it might pull out the iron. Well we gradually
hauled in and stood up. holding an oar already
10 hit the brute on the head. when it gave
kind OF lunge or side cut, taking the oar right
between my hands and knocking me head over
heels down in the bottom. In the confusion the
man in the bow Stacked the rope, and the next
minute crunch KEN the fish. and UP its sod
KEN through the plankins, stckin' about foot
into the boat not three foot from me. had
sense enough to grab it. and while
HUNG ON AND dashed TT
with the painter the boys pulled alongside the
schooner and we got it aboard. He measured
IA foOt-a putty big one In fair weather they
lie mostly on the surface and whether they're
asleep or just summing themselves is hard to tell.
ats great sight" he added Ito see 'em in
among the bOny fish. They go Just like a
cavalry man: striking up and down. right and
left KILN hundreds of 'em: and I've seen 'em
Keep adding It, which shows they kind o. like
the 1un OF It, This season has been putty toll
able; lnackere have been very scarce and that
makes sod fish scarce too. Of Nantucket the
vineyard. the cape. and to the southland to
tishin'."
The swordfsh is perhaps one of the most in
teresting of our coast fishes and the 800 Of
Tered for young one would be as safe as 81 900,
as the fish do not breed ON this side OF the At
lantic, and the young only being occasionally
found out to sea in the md-Atlantic or on the
shores OF the Mediterranean. where they are
followed by the fishermen of Messina. Here a
rowboat is used. having a tall mast upon which
the watcher sits. The young swOrdsh even if
found here, would hardly be recognized. SO diff
ferent are they in appearance from the adults
young histOphOrous. z inches long. resembles
II anything young stickleback more than it
does swOrdfish, with head like plesOsau-
rus: The jaws are equal in length and armed
with fine teeth; the eyes are enormous for the
size of the body, while from the head over the
dOrsal and ventral region extend two sharp
splnes When about Is inches long the dorsal
nm has become higher, the spines begin to dis
appear and the upper jaw Commemorate look
like a sword.