The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-08-11
QUEST or THE CPAH
Fish Like = Broad u silver and L.
lac Caught Once IN light Nears-

Evs- hear O. 80 a. --L- = =
spsn. sixteen years t-y--E 81 --Se-77s
. total -ll.1U- @: = : sl- sA=- ---
c5u1zu-ou .. .-= 1sz--- Nc
Well. !. as some -.-E --5 ms
believe the r4ees - s1- --.--- L.
nate MAJ ~. - - The >- ----e-
he hzI made re -1s- =
ration and AS 1cu - y - s--A $
Finally re hour cs-= -- %! as
p=rfec-.y clear s-- ~ rzs 2 -e----
1ess :o- TIE sc-.Ez-, --- -. = --7
. moment o .O-z.4-y AS -.ls
9 cloud appeared AID concealed --@
sun. TIE ASTRONOMER was u despair
+ He knew he could 1g- afford 10 repeat
the vis!t i re returned home 50 ne &C.
+ c.Le5 70 remain CT ,Ee spc- for e-gl.
years Or u1c.. . to,z. eclipse occurred
again. I.szy eight with EeseTYz-
ton. ! an not Al ASTRONOMER. ana =
may have been eighteen yeas. Wen.
again the eveuttu. hour finally ap-
preached. Not Z cloud was in the SKY
and al nature seemed smiling; but
Just as the great act was about 10
occur z sudden sqIal came up ana
the heavens were clouded. TIE man
who had waited eighc years gathered
I'D his instruments and returned 20 his
home to find that the government for
some reason had seized what little
property he had LETT.
That IS pathetic tale" said the
fisherman. making a long cast with
shining anchoyy. but il is nothing 10
my efforts TO take an opah. An opah
you must know. is one OF the most
beautiful OF all fishes. rare and rad
liant creature; hence its Greek name.
lamproe. / first saw il in England.
and | spent several wceks trying 10
take one along the F. mouth cJas-,
but never even heard OF al gIal, and
the fishermen told me that one was
taken only about once il eight years.
Mark the resemblance 20 me plliu.
tale Of the astronomer and. lifting
his rod the fisherman hooked a chan
mel bass. The gamy fish made rush
straight away. head!ng for Lisbon as
nearly as could be judged. then. stop
ped by the leather brake il came IN
like a fox doubling on its own scent.
stopped and. plung.ng down. took the
fisherman un4wdres and broke the
line.
81 next heard Of the opah in lay"
continued the angler, as he gaI2eG on
a fresh hook, and here l was told that
one was caught about once il zen
years, yet went fishing in every boat
| could find | was travelling round
the world and one day when strOlled
into the fish market in san Francisco.
will you believe me? there. swing ng
by it's tail. ablaze with color. MAS a
gigantic opah, the fsh OF my dreams,
nearly four feet long and almost as
nigh. Il was a sunJursl, rainbow.
and the fish dealer said that il was
the first one that had been taken in
eight years-nOte the period. Some
one has described the fish as a rich
brocade OF silver and lilac. rosy Oh The
belly; everywhere with silye.y spots;
head and back with uitramarine TINS;
Jaws and fms yerm.IiOn.' The FISH
was caught in Monterey Bay. and as
/ was more determined than ever 70 take
an opah. went 10 Monterey few
days later Here | fsAed in small
boats. trolled in the picturesqa la
teen-rigged crafts Of the l,al.aus-in
deed in the very boat that had caught
this lamprOs Of the Greeks. bur ! new
er saw even the scarlet fin Of the opah
Finally. one day in Chinatown. il
San Francisco. | saw lantern almOs
identical with the opah, and as it hum
over a fish stall ! asked the Chilamal
If he had heard OF the fish. AS / de
scribed it his face lighted up and h
| informed me that his brother heal
catch EN- at little fishing village no
far away. Well. the next day dis
covered the village and the brother
who said he 'catchee heap big fish, al
lee samee. lopah leight years ago
! catchee bout eyly leight years
| had struck it," continued the angler
casting far into the ripple Of the 81
Johns; they had caught an opah eigh
years ago. consequently one was aue
So made contract to 20 fishing VIII
them.
Il caught all the fishes of the Sc
from rock bass to octopus. though tn
latter is not strictly a fish; bat Their
was no lack of excitement when
spiderlike creature with legs or arm
twelve feet across came Writhing u
and attempted to embrace you with
tentacle. | was beginning to be dis
couraged when good fortune came
We had gone to the usual grounds an
after fishing some time an Italian la
teen-rigged boat came alongside an
knowing the captain | joined him t
change the luck, the boat anchoring
cables length from the junk. | wa
putting at my pipe, listening to tn
men. when my line was jerked froi
my hands and, catching in a tur
about my leg, was almost pulled owe
board.
you have never hooked a whale
OF course not. Then you know notl
ing about it. but for a moment
thought | had There was n
holding it. 1t simply tore the lin
through my fingers. | had plenty {
line-a stout one. Up came the ifs
again circling around the boat with
whish and Kissing of the line. an
40 Of the water, like knife of We
illiOn. shot a fn--the fin | had see
n tho opah. Apparently the ifs
3ucht sight of the boat, as it sounde
gain. making the heavy lateen quiv,
;lied to hold it; then it came u
! Sc east off the anchor rushC
say with us.
Il will not bore you with details;
J enough to say that half mile b.
low | brought my fish alongside, ha'
ing worn it out, though exhausted m.
, self. Jose gated it, and by the aid
ropes 1t was lifted aboard-a magnii
cent creature, living rainbow, mo
brilliant in tint and color than those
had seen, well repaying me for n
long quest. If there is another fis
in the sea OF its size that can make
better fight | should like to see !
yet | suspect that my opah, the XII
OF the behring's, is nothing more thu