Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-01-16

head of huge conger appeared above
the surface. Now was the critical
timel How I blessed my stars for
good tackle
Sim stood ready with the gaff, while
hauled in, for get him aboard we
must.
His struggles became increasingly
violent as he neared the boat, plung.
ing, writhing, and diving like mad
thing.
he was now close in, within strik-
ing distance, lashing the water into
foam and splashing it over the boat
like shower bath. He must be
gated and dragged aboard without the
loss of moments time or the line will
part, but this is no easy feat, for he is
not an exhausted fish even yet
- Sim makes several abortive strokes
getting no sure hold. L am in fever
OF excitement and apprehension, when
lucky blow at the mouth strikes the
big meat-hook through his lower jaw,
and gaff and line together we haul him
into the boat with loud "Hurrah!"
But we have not done yet; he is full
of life, longer than anyone in the boat,
and thicker than my thigh-a verita.
BILE sea-serpent, and writhes himself
clear of the gait almost immediately
only the line holds him! The boat is
not big enough for such foundering
monster, and he will be in the sea
again if we do not cripple him
speedily.
kept hold of the line despairingly.
Sim strikes again and again with the
gaf and wounds him, but can get no
hold on his tough, Shiny skin as the
monster dashes about the boat. The
boy bangs him with an car and is
knocked over by blow from his
pythonlike head. He fights savagely,
striking like snake, and his huge
jaws grind upon the chain and snap
together like steel trap; I am
amazed to see such ferocity, and a
bite from that great mouthful of ser.
ried teeth would be indeed terrible.
Blows appear to have little effect, and
he Aounces half over the gunwale.
pull frantically and get him back, just
as clumsy blow from an oar strikes
my tight line close at his head, and,
to my utter horror, the chain snaps
from the hooks.
Diabolus! he is loose, and we snail
miss him yet Sim drops the gaff,
and, seizing big oilskin overall,
pitches it over the twisting brute and
filings himself on the top of it. This
is only momentary expedient, for he
cannot keep him under, but it may
give me chance with the gaff, and
stand back ready and look out for the
head.
Sim keeps up the battle grandly,
rolling and graphing like man in
commissions, and shouts for his fish.
knife, with which he stabs through the
oilskin furiously. Out comes tho
grizzly head, bloody and torn, up the
side of the boat, and L get fair
stroke and drive the gafF-hook right
through both upper and lower jaws
into the planking; drag it down
against the bottom of the boat and
hold on as for my life. The filthy
coils wind round my hips like boa
constructors, and 1 can hardly keep
my feet, and am covered with blood
and slime.
Now is Sims chance, and he stabs
into the monsters gills up to the bilt,
time after time. The blood flows
copiously, and this quickly tells upon
the twisting mass; his contortions be-
come weaker, and in another minute
the giant conger lies dying at the bot.
tom Of the boat. 1t has been des.
perate struggle, but the fight is Won
and we have time to breathe.
From the time we got ''the King Of
the Congers," as Sim dubs him, on
board, not more than five or six min.
utes have elapsed, though it may ap.
pear longer in the telling, and it has
been the most exciting five minutes l
have ever experienced. We were in
high glee, you may be sure, and ]
never tired of gazing on my gigantic
capture. / had never seen anything
like him before. The expression of
!. the head impressed me as truly dia.
bolical; british, cold, cruel ferocity
is stamped strongly upon it, as with
congers generally, but far more pro-
nounced in one of such an amazing
size. We stretched him out full
length, and he reaches almost from
stem to stern of the boat.
cover seven foot, if he's an inch!
I've never seed bigger and but one
or two as big, and on the water over
thirty year, man and boy" says Sim,
who was English, and had been bred
} upon the Dee shore. 81 reckon we'd
better go ashore and clean oursel's,
mister!' added he, with triumphant
grin. "And, Jim, there's nice Job
! O. swabbin' for thee, ladp' referring to
the state of the boat, besmeared with
blood and slime; as, indeed, were the
crew also.
We accordingly rowed ashore with
our prize, which proved to be seven feet
three inches in length and twenty
seven inches in girth. Sim made q
good thing of showing it round Tenby.
The skin and head I had stuffed and
| lpft L.. l. I. ,