The Opelousas courier., 1889-09-21
A RHINuCl OF THE SEA,
CATCHING A G. AT swoRDFIsH
OFF DLoCl& ISLAND.

Paraphernalia OF . Fisherman-The
Death-Dealing Dart-An Ocean
Monsters Desperate Fight for Life.
Ex-Congressman Amos J. Cummings
writes frorl Block Island to the New
York San breezy account of trip after
swecaEsH which he took in q small
schooner. We quote as follows:
Block Island lies at the entrance
of Long ISLAND Sound, between Nara
gansett Bay and Montauk. The island
has about 1900 inhabitants in winter and
between 5000 and 6000in summer. The
natives are mostly hardy fishermen.
The Napoleon of all the fnny tribe is
the swordtish. lie is courageous and
v%oracIous. Like the rhinoceros, he
carries a deadly weapon upon his nose,
and is INSCRIPTIONS in its use. Indeed,
he may be aptly termed the rhinoceros of
the seas. The waters of Block Island are
his summer home. Nowhere in American
seas does he appear in greater numbers.
His weight here runs from $50 to 600
pounds. His flesh sells In Eastern markets
at from fifteen to twenty cents per pound.
A, score or more of smacks are now en-
gagged in the fishery.
1t is glorious sport. I shipped for a
day on the schooner Mystery, a regular
fishing boat. 1t was 6 A. NJ. when I
boarded her. AS we mounted the swelIs
of the Atlantic I sat in an armchair and
scanned the little craft with a critical
eye. There was nothing ornamental about
her. She was equipped for business
alone. -Four OF five red kegs, rugged as
!. floats, fo2 use after the fish is struck, were
upon end near the cabin. Two rusty
lances shaped like shoeknives, gave a hint
OF the coming conflict. They were after
ward used in giving the death blow to
great fish.
Away off on the tip of the bowsprit
was a small pen made of iron bars and
shaped like the lectern Of an Episcopal
church. 1t is called a pulpit. From
this pulpit the expert hurls a brass dart
into the fish below him. The swaying
vessel tosses him above the waves, as,
harpoon in hand he awaits the coming of
the monster. 70
The little schooner was manned by
three persons, including the skipper and
steward. The former was Captain VIM.
f. Hooper, a well-knit young man, with
blue eyes and more thar ordinary intelli-
geace. A bronzed sea-dog was the
steward. He had short gray hair, a
merry eye and paws like pine knots. The
crew was a sawed-o off little fellow about
five feet two inches long.
With all sail set we headed for Nan
tucaet. The steward took the %tiller,
while the crew lighted a pipe and climbed
the foremost to act as a lookout. Above
the peak block there was a small plat
form, upon which he took his stand.
After lashing himself to the mast, he
shaded his eyes with his hand and began
to scan the ocean in search of a fish.
Meantime the skipper rugged his dart
and glided along the bobstay to the pull
pit. He lashed the haIpoon across a
stanchion and returned to the deck. Not
long afterward he swung a little seat
from the rear of the pulpit, and sat
down therein while awaiting q call from
the masthead. ,
We were well out to sea, and nearing
the feeding grounds Of the swordfsh.
The sun was hot, but the breeze was cool
and refreshing. Half an hour passed. A
dozen schooners and sloops were within
two miles of us. The little speck over
their bowsprits told us that they were
upon the same errand as ourselves. Sud
J,,J,- $3.50 ,,,- Al nod Gnr ohnp{1nr nuor
the waves. At times it disappeared like
the Goat of a rod and reel when a big
fish has been struck. Anon it came to
the surface and fairly sized over the
water. A sloop not far away came about
and picked it up, but she was SO distant
Then she secured the fish that we could
not Gee low large it was. Within twenty
minutes T saw the skipper. of a slooP on
our left strike a fish ISL He was a tall, ath-
letic man, with a long reach; As he
stood upon the bowsprit s~lhoue1teu
against the sky, harpoon aloft, hi hlaue .
picture not easily forgotten. He s'fuGh
the fish as it was disappearing nndes INC
low of the sloop. q,
Another monotonous hour passed. Tue
steward held on to the tiller, and scannftu
the horizon for novelties. Montaunn
Point doomed up in the south like a 10"
cloud.
"Hold her up" suddenly shouted the
lookout. "There's o big fish on the
weather bow"
The shipper saw the monster, and be-
gan to poise his iron. "Right your
wheel" he roared, 'sand haul her up on
the windl"
Two great fins began to cut the water
not forty feet away. / sprang upon the
cabin. A monstrous fish was numbering
along in a heavy swell. He was evil
IDENTIFY going to cross our bows if we held
our course.
ssSteady-hold her hardr' cried the
skipper, Strengthening hir'eelf on the tip
of the spirit.
essteady she is, sir" replied the stew
ard, holding the tiller up SO hard that
his face was purpled and the veins in his
neck were distended.
Closer came the 1eviathan. The little
schooner pitched in the trough of the
sea. Her mainsail began to hutter, As,
she rose on a swell the fish lurched to-
ward the bow. He was a inny giant.
AS he rolled at the foot of the swell, the
skipper hurled the iron into him. It
struck him near the forefn, and he sank
Under the bow
"slack the main sheet2 Keep her
offl" screamed the skipper, as he drew
Fhe stick from the dart, and shot away