News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-04-15
| CAPTURING A DEVIL FISH.
RARE AND EXCITING SPORT OFF
THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST.
A Monster of the Deep-Eighteen
Feet from Tip to Tip-The Vora-
ciOus Sharks.

pOOuS, Ill6 OUt dG GIle SIcTu bl66Ilug WIN
his foot, but ready in case of an emergency
to strike also. Reaching the mouth of
| Skull creek, which bounds Hilton Head
on he west and empties into Broad river,
we anchored near the shore, slowed use
less things away and arranged our weap-
ons to hand, then lay off to watch for the
fish, which generally showed themselves
on the early ebb tide Just at the mouth Of
Skull creek. Can one fond of the water
imagine anything to surpass this2 The
gentle roll of the boat, the constant dip
ping of the gulls, the wind blowing fresh
and crisp, by this time having increased
sufficiently to cap the waves in mid river
beautifully, the landscape around present
ing that peculiar smoky, quiet
appearance so charming on a
June day. Such a situation and sun
would, under ordinary circumstances,
induce sleep, but our eyes were strained
for the first sight of the fish; and our in
exhaustible supply of "reminiscences of
former days sport-so pleasant to recall
when another is to be added to the long
list-kept us on the qui vive.
Suddenly Elliott points to the star
board bow ''There is one, / think. "
''No, boss" says Bob, 'dat porpoise. F"
When the fish first shows the point of its
wing it resembles the fin of a porpoise
very much. Before Bob's words were
! well out of his mouth, the monster sud-
denly leaped entirely out of the water,
coming down with slap and splash
that sent the foam in every direction,
and as quick as thought another and an
other fish show themselves until the
number reaches eight or ten.
Elliott is on his feet. ''Haul in the
anchor, Bob; lay out the oars, Jack, and
now, Hal, you strike"
In moment am at the head OF the
boat, the harpoon with staff six or eight
feet long poised evenly in my right hand,
coil of rope in my left, in order to give
plenty of line when the harpoon is cast.
| The main coil is in the bottom of the
| boat, the end fast to something substan-
tial, so if the rope is paid out with the
dash of the fish we will not lose both
rope and harpoon. am ready, and the
hands are quietly pulling toward the spot
where the tremendous boil indicates the
monsters disappearance. Here he is to
the left, about twenty yards off, cutting
around in a circle, the point Of both
wings showing.
easy, boys, easy, and stand ready to
help me, Bob, when l strike; leave Jack
to look after the oars. Steady. Back
water"
The fish had just turned his gigantic
body over, about ten feet from me, the
harpoon is raised and driven with all my
strength into the center of the white
stomach, which is just on a level with the
surface.
"Good shotr" says Elliott.
Before the fish realizes the situation
the head of the boat touches him. /
reach out, catch the butt of the harpoon
staff and force it entirely through the
body, and Jump out of the way of tho
rope which now begins to spin out with
fearful velocity. ''Mind your hands,
Bob, 3" for we are now catching at the
rope and bending it over the bow when
ever the chance offers, thus turning the
head in the direction of the fish, assisted
by Elliott at the helm. "Come and help
us, Jack, for if the rope gets on the
broadside we will capsize, certainly" s"
''No danger" says Jack, who immediate
ly adds his bony hands to the work, and
although the smoke flies, and / lose some
!, skin from my hand, the boat swings
, around and we dash away with speed
that almost takes away our breath as the
spray pours over us and the head of the
boat buries into the waves, seeming
sometimes as if it wonld never rise
again. For the time being can use M
other expression than that we are drunk
with excitement, there is nothing tC
equal it in the line of sport. To relieve
: the weight of the head Elliott and Jach
pass the line down to the stern and sit.
ting there, as we give the word, all hau
! together, for another harpoon must DC
9 placed in the fish as soon as his
' first dash is over. He is then
! gradually hauled nearerand nearer the sur
face. Gradually and cautiously we haul
; as he approaches nearer and yet nearer;
Elliott catches up another harpoon, and
} coming to the head stands ready to hurl
it into the fish as soon as it approaches
near enough to the surface. We begin
to see the black mass indistinctly at first,
then more and more visible, until sud
denly Elliott says, "Look outW and lets
, fy his harpoon. 1t quivers as the staff
is half submerged; and again the fish
dashes down and down until eight OF
ten fathoms are paid out. We then
|, steady him, and begin the hauling again.
This time Elliott arms himself with q
lance, and when the time arrives plunges
!, it in and Jerks it out rapidly. The blood
spurts from the wound and we leave q
bloody wake behind. The fish gradually
becomes more and more feeble. His
dashes are less and less violent, until he
, at length lies floating alongside gaspine
for breath No time is to be lost Quickly
blight of the rope is passed through
, nostril into the throat. My arm is sud
denly plunged into the mouth of the fish
as he gasps. This feat must be performed
fapidlv, as it would be dangerous to have
the mouth of the fish close on ones arm
in diving gasp. Then catching the ropC
/ bring it out of the mouth. This per
foImance is repeated with the second nos
tril. and we have the fish ready to b.
towed ashore, presenting his head to tn
: resisting tide, which is still running ebb
We have time to look around us now
We are about four miles outside Ba
, Point, and it will take at least four o
five hours to reach shore, notwithstand
ing the fact that we have a bowling sout
wind to assist us. But we have NOR
sport in store. The sharks begin to shoN
= themselves. These vultures of the Sc
e have smelled blood, and their fins ar
l. seen fitting around in numbers. One fel
: low coming up deliberately takes hold g
) the thin portion of the wing of the dew
fish. and throwing his body entirely ou
. of the water, his tail just missing the boat
. he cuts a clean half moon out of the fish
flap. Our shark lines are rugged, balte
with some small fish found in the bottoI
Is of the boat or a piece cut from the deY
): fish, and thrown overheard. They hardi
y touch before they are grasped as
8. another man was at the other end, and
y trial of strength begins. But man BRING
af mind to bear, and the shark is allowe.
l. rome and is played; gradual y hi
strength fails him, and ten foot mon
ster IS brought alongside. The lane
-plays a second part in disPatching tn
shark. We take nine of these fellow
before we land, averaging from SIX 7
ten feet long.
E. We land at last toward sunset and ar
rs met by all on shore. The fish is haule
n rs near the beach as possible, and whe
l. the tide recedes is left high and dry
~ We measure him and he proves to b
- !. eighteen feet from tip 70 tip of wings
y = eleven feet from nose to base of tail, an
II u and four and a half feet through. TIL
= next day he is cut up and sent to Elliott
place for manure. Forest and Stream.
a The Sick COw-a Fable.