The Dickinson press., 1884-10-11
AN SPORT.

- SA
spsarins sworaash OF Cape Nay.
Correspondence Philadelphia Times.
"Hey-o!" came from the man in the
cross-trees.
"Where away?" yelled the skipper,
unlocking his booted leg from the wheel
end glancing around.
Fright off the weather bow" SANG
out the mate, who had sprung into the
rigging.
AYE, I see him" replied the skipper.
A moment later all eyes on board were
watching q sharp g%listening fin that
was darting through the water in the
same general direction as ourselves.
The mate now took his place in the
pulpit, and seizlng the steel lily stood
ready for the game, while the rope was
carefully coiled and the key made ready
to toss at the right moment. For ten
minutes the vessel and fishmoved along
CALAMITY side by side. The skipper,
however, was gradually hauling the
vessel on the wind and the two ap-
preached each other until the swordfish
was close alongside. Then came the
supreme moment. The skipper wound
away at the wheel and the little vessel
shot up into the wind, laying the sword
fish right across the bows, and as it
rushed along amidst the foam, the har-
pooner raised his weapon; for a moment
the steel lily flashed; then, with a
dull thud, it entered the back of the
fish.
Stand clear the Incl" shouted the
mate, as he sprang back upon the deck
and the schooner fell away again.
The warning was well Ieeded. az tna
rope was rushing over the side like a
streak OF creased tightening" as the
skipper had it. It was soon exhausted.
and as the end came the mate held aloft
the key and as the last fathom Of rop.
rushed away, tossed it over and away
it went, followed by a wave of foam
and spray, to ultimately tire the gamy
fish. '
"Naow all we hev to dew" said the
skipper, "is to follow along and pick up
another If we a In August I've had
as many as eight kegs out at once, and
got so many that we had to make Bos-
ton and leave the water alive with 'em.
Then again they'll be so tarnatiou
scarce that you won't see one a day"
"There's several curious things about
q sod fish," he continued; zone is that
though they can sink a boat with their
sword, yet q child can hold them by it.
One day my twelve-year-old boy was
setting in the boat a-fishing, and as he.
hauled in the Line a sod fish followed
the bait, and as it stuck its sword out
of water The lad grabbed it, and the
fish couldn't get away and we took it
aboard. The next curious thing is
about the young. I never thought
nothin' about them until a fellow came:
aboard n day and seq he, Gap, I'll.
give ye 5000 for o young swordfsh
under fifteen inches Wall, I thought
l had a soft snap, and I let out among
the mackerel men that I would pay $50
for one; but curious enough, there
wasn't a man that had ever seen one
and, of course. I didn't get it, When I
went ashore 1 told the fellow about it,
and he said it was the general belief
among naluralists that they only breed
in European waters as the young are
never found here"
w had now gained on the flying key,
and as the dory was hauled alongside
two of the crew and the writer as vol
unteer tumbled in. and in q few momenta
had the key alongside. The oars were
then pulled in, and a moment later the
bowman has seized the key and the
dory was rushing along-a swordfsh X
press. "The work of taking in" now
commenced, one man steering the dory
after the erratic steed, the others haul
ing in on the rope. AS the fish felt the
strain it renewed it's exertions and start
ed off ct q furious pace that threatened
to leaye the vessel far behind. But the.
sport was of short duration and the.
dory was rapidly hauled ahead, until
finally the sharp fin was close by, and:
with a rush the fish was laid alongside,
one man holding it while the rest got to
the windward to prevent a capsize. 1t
was then, q sthe mate said, that the al
legged fun commenced.
Hauled partly out of the water by
the rope, the great fish gave a vicious
cut to the left with it's sharp weapon,
that caused all hands to drop as if sent
for, and for some time this lowly posi-
ton was the best, all things considered.
The rope vas kept taut and the strug-
giles of the game were terrific. If q
head was raised it seemed Immediately
to become the object Of attack. Finally,
however, an oar was lifted and a violent
blow upon the head placed the sword
fish hors du combat. The schooner
now came alongside, a block and tackle
was rugged and the gamy fish was
hoisted aboard.
It was about eight feet in length, the
privateersman of the fnny tribe, it's
entire nj ke-up denoting speed. The
sword is q long extension of the upper
Jaw, formed of hardened cartilage, and
the explanation Of its power Of pene-
trating ships accords with that of the
candle that can be shot througha board.
It is not so much the hardness of the
%projectile as the force with which it is
fired; and in regard to that force the
sword-fsh has we'll been compared to
q cannon.
Changes in Barroom Styles.
The New York Sun thinks we are