The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-07


people all about US. They were lucky
/ Tarpon after tarpon arose in the air,
lines We're quickly drawn up. and the
unfortunate who had hooked one was
given chance by the neighboring
boats scurrying out of reach. TarpOn
after tarpOn was dragged up on the
beach measured and then dragged
back 10 his freedom. But / got no
strikes for a while. My cheerful spir-
It's came again. l released the death
grip 1 had on my rod. l even let IL
( rest on the stern OF the boat. Why. /
got so much OF my nerve back that my
boatman could hear me when / spoke
10 him. Indeed. ! became somewhat
, clipper. so to speak. and suggested to
many OF those who were in the agonies,
by which ! mean when they were hook
ing up. that they ought 10 let out more
line; that they ought to reel up: that
they should hold their nerve; that the
way 10 take tarpOn was TO throw the
hook into them. break their spurts. pull
them up by the side of the boat, get
the boatman 70 stroke them down the
back and then make them follow them
ashore. 1 offered advice TO every one.
and 1 fancy that / had not been on the
, fishing grounds more than an hour
before I made an Impression. and had
excited deep hatred in every man who
had been blessed or cursed, as the case
may be. by strike. 1 finally got one,
just as ] was hilariously commenting
on the lack Of polish in a neighbor in
handling his rod.
What l was about to say, was not
said. l could distinctly feel my heart
fan four inches, and then it felt heavy,
as II the fall had hurt IL. The reel did
. d IL
clicks. / made a wild dive with my
right hand then for the leather brake,
only TO jab il in between the spool Of
the reel and the rod My luck was
great, for the fish, feeling a foreign
substance in his mouth. the hook per-
haps having pricked him, came out in
! the air where the resistance 10 his con-
tortions would be less than in the wa
/ ter, and threw the hook forty feet
away You don't strike him." said
Johnny. An explanation on my part
was in order. But l tried 10 look as if
/ scorned to make one. The truth was
that my voice was dead. Several times
! had the same experience. But / was
getting in shape. as shown by the fact
that / finally arrived at the point
where I had strength enough 10 feebly
] lift the rod in lazy imitation of strik-
ing when the fish bit. Johnny was get
| ting discouraged. The other boatmen
were making him look like a pair OF
| deuces, as he remarked. But the delay
was good for me. Ii was making me
bold. In fact, l was, l felt. just train
Ing for the great act And il came.
/ The reel went click. click. for a few
| feet as If the fish at the other end was
I perfectly at ease and was rather will
/ ing for anything that came. He did
/ not seize the bait and run like a thief
J He took IL as If il belonged 10 him and
as n he were willing to fight for il.
But / was better poised mentally at
that moment than / had been. and
threw my whole strength into one side
sweep with the rod. He telegraphed
down the line he was there, and per-
/ haps fearing i might not read the tel
I egram came out of the water, six feet
/ II an inch, and told me he was there.
/ he came as a six-foOt bolt OF beaten
/ silver-came shimmering. a ray OF
Z light even under an August sun-came
/ the epitome OF beauty and rage. And
/ when his native element received him.
/ It received him speeding. The reel did
/ not click or whirr now. Ii hummed-
/ like a top. Put the brake on" John
[ ny said. l tried il and bore down with
q
/ on the rod above the reel Johnny
said. I tried il, but touched the line,
and scar marks the place
Then / got my mad up. l climbed the
rod. skinned down the rod. pressed
down on the brake. let the reel run
/ at viii, braced my feet against the
stern Of the boat. fell out OF the chair.
got on II again. prayed. swore. burned
up and froze. That message along the
/ line-that message which would tell
/ me what true ecstasy Of delight was
never came. There was one. To be sure,
but Il told OF true agony. IL read thus
You have often heard of being up
against the real thing? Well, you will
understand it now. For this is real -
Give him more line" said Johnny.
/ God knows / was willing. 1 was never
stingy man. ! woull have given him
all the lines in all the stores in all the
world Reel him up now. Take in
more line, reel up, reel up" How sim
pie the words! How easy IL would seem
from the simple words. And yet there
he was now, after having been in the
air half-doZen times. Juggling like a
pair or young mules. I could not have
reeled in an inch of line with a well
windlass. Why, he was pulling a thou
d IL
( boat though Johnny was Juggling a lit
tie the other way 10 add weight to his
burden. Then he would turn and make
a curve. But all the time his direction
was outward from the boat And here
II occurred 10 me that / had at an
earlier hour talked too much. Neigh
bors whom / had twitted took a deep
interest in what l was doing They
I reciprocated with suggestions. They
asked me why / did not reel him up by
/ the boat and get my boatman 20 stroke
his back. They inquired why / didn't
make him follow me TO shore. Johnny
did not like this. I refused 20 say any
thing in reply I did NOS think il IN
manly 20 make confessions. In fact,
/ ] think they show the right kind OF
heart.
II Johnny and myself had not been
surrounded by interested and ribald
neighb0rs. cur or my troubles would
/ have been speedily settled. But as IL
/ was. TO have cut the line in the pres
ence OF these neighbors would have
I been an act OF cOwardice which would
/ have forever disgraced me. / could not
: let the fish, which was now my enemy,
have the rod, and then have offered
as an excuse that my hands had
I slipped. because the rod and reel did
not belong 10 me. / confess that this
method OF escape once suggested itself
/ 10 me. but turned Il down IN contem-
plation Of the price. Unfortunately
/ had secured line and hook. and
enough wire 10 furnish a soul for a
] plano. and / could not hope for any es-
cape by the breaking route, Just as
was despairing, Johnny said: Reel up;
you must reel up or a shark VIII get
I your fsh." The waters cool draught
never came 10 the parched mouth in
/ the desert as this came % me. Talk Of
"a great rock In a weary land" 10 the
: traveller, IL seemed 70 be my only hope.
/ Would one come? would welcome him
almost by an embrace. I have read OF
I the horror sailors have felt when they
I saw the fms OF these monsters cutting
/ the surface Of the seas I have Shud-