San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-03
AFTER A SWORDFISH.
A GLORIOUS" FISHING TRIP IN THE
BAY OF FUNDY.

Waves Like the Coney Island Toboggan
slide-The Correspondent "siIed His
Garment"-In the Tail of q Storm-Ths
Shippers Tale OF Woe.
had longed to go swordfishing all my
life. knew the creature was havorous,
gamy and good, for l had eaten savory
bits of him broiled. | knew that he car
ried on his pugnacious snout a sword of
polished ivory as lively as an Italians sti-
letto and as heavy as King Arthur's ex-
caliber. knew he would fight like cow
boy, and was from eight to fifteen feet
long So l wanted to 60 after him, or /
foolishly thought did. ] was talking In
this way on pile Of stone they called a
wharf when skipper spoke up and says:
lyon goes a Teller after 'em. wy don't
you 60 along FER imp
He blew on his fingers shrill pipe-one
long blast and two short-as signal, and
received similar answering horn. The
sails luffed, the sloop hove to and came
around, and my whistling agent put me
aboard from his own dory.
ON BOARD THE sLooP.
The sloop tackled again and laid herself
right down before the wind. 1t seemed
nice. Each wave was about as long as the
sloop, and rolled up from toward Spain. It
seemed like the corduroy toboggan slide at
Coney Island. 1t suggested going to heaven
in hammock. We introduced ourselves.
The shippers name, had been told, was
Hallibut, but after had called him by it
about hundred times found out that it
was Hurlbut. He was at the helm and
IL IL.
little platform about thirty feet up the
mast and it was his business to discover
the fish and tell the captain which way to
steer A third man was standing right
out on the end of the bowsprit with har-
pooh in his right hand, sharp, ugly look
ing steel weapon six or seven feet long.
"This is gloriousp shouted
"Hey?" sung out the skipper, above the
whisting wind.
"Gloriousp' | repeated.
Tail of a Storm" he shouted back,
"sha MT git no fish,"
went over where he stood. There were
two vessels like our own little distance
off, with men in the crosstrees and on the
bow.
The captain tackled, and as the boom
came around yelled out, Xxx out for your
headp' looked out for it, and then OBJ
served for the first time that he seemed in
trouble He was swearing in low, gentle
baritone voice uninterruptedly, mildly,
with quite surprising range of epithet
and of metaphor. 1t was the most serene
profanity had ever heard 1t had wheed-
ling and even pathetic accents, like New
foundland dog that is being petted
What is it, sir?" ventured to ask
THAT Internal son of a sculpin on the
lee quarter stole a fish FIN me yiste' day."
,aid he in the same subdued voice. I'D
ike to whale 'em sot he couldn't stan',"
md then he blasphemed again in foolish
Ind ridiculous voice
"Did he take it right off the deck% I
lsked
He cast whitening glance at me, swore
/ little and remarked: "He did not, but he
night just as well NV 1t was my fish. Ii
want more'n ten rod ahead Nv us, and we
yuz Jest goin' to gather i'm"
/ said | "never considered a deer mine
ill I'd shot him"
FRIGHT oFF'M HIS DECK"
he grunted five or six times in way
hat was sad to see, embroidering that ut
erance with an arabesque of profanity
uite dazzling to hear, and added; "Hul
eer! Well he might git away FIN ye,
nightn't he? An a swordfish couldn't git
way FIN me, could he? That's the differ
nee, amt iti Just as soon that white
vered measly cuss had took il right off'm
az deck"
,stsrkcSri 6owl'' yelled the man in the
,xsss Continued on Third page.