The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-31

foremost sits a lookout who scans the
sea with telescope for a glimpse of
the great fin, shaped like a tooth in a
circular saw, which betrays the pres
ence of the quarry.
When one is sighted, the craft is
steered so as to come up close along
side of the fish from behind. The
harpooner, raising himself to his full
hight, poises with the right arm fully
extended, holding the harpoon in readi-
ness to strike. A good helmsman
(and most swordfishermen are that
Will bring the vessel almost on top
of the fish. The harpooner strikes the
instant he can see the shadowy bulk of
the sea-warrior below him; and before
he has recovered his harpoon, the line
will be whizzing out behind a mad
racer of the ocean.
Quickly an empty we'll sealed cask,
generally painted in bright colors, is
bent on to the line and tossed over
board. Then the vessel has nothing
more to do except to follow it's grava-
tons leisurely. Sometimes it will be
dragged under and remain out of sight
for many minutes. But the steady
buoyant, upward drag, never so great
as to part the line or to drag the iron
out of the fish, and yet never ceasing,
finally tires the fish out so completely
that he either begins to roll over on
the surface or sinks and hangs a dead
weight.
Then comes the most dangerous part
of the pursuit. Before that. there al
ways was a chance that the swordfish
might turn and run at the sailing ves-
sci. But the advantage was with the
latter, for in a fair breeze, it could
move at least as fast as the fish could
with the handicap of the cash. But
now somebody must go out in a small
boat, haul I'D the line and give the
fish the blow of grace.
Armed with a keen lance, a fisher
man drops into the little boat that
dances on the swell, and rows to the
| cask that lies on the water without
motion. Arrived there, he hauls in the
| line hand over hand. He may pull him
self right up alongside of the fish.
lance him to death and hold him until
! the big vessel comes up, with no more
trouble than it would be to haul in
log. And he may not.
The first motion of the line NAV
awaken the swordfish and start him
on on a pace madden than ever Or
and this has happened often, the fish
in his combined terror and rage. will
turn impetuously on the little boat and
strike 1t savagely with his sword. In
swordhshing communities, men hardly
bother to mention 1t when swordfsh
pierces the bottom of small boat I'M
less there was some especially narrow
escape from being transfixed
| The swordfish is so immensely
strong that the thin planking of a row
boat offers practically no obstacle to
| his terrible weapon, and If the man
! happens to be over the spot that is
1 struck, he is sure to be severely
wounded, if not killed outright. There
are many instances of the latter. and
scores on scores of cases of injuries
many being of frightful character. as
may be inferred from the circum-
stances under which a man works
when standing or sitting in a boat.
In 1871, the little soop yacht Red
hot, while cruisinsn off Martha's Vine
yard with party of sportmen, was
| struck by wounded swordfsh and
so badly injured that she sank, the
| fish not only having pierced her bot
tom with his sword, but having but
ted his head so hard against her tim
bers that the seams were started.
Scarcely one of the half hundred odd
; vessels that cruise every year for
! swordtish has record of complete i'm
munity. One craft was rammed TWEEN
ty times in one cruise by fighting
I fish. Luckily none of the attacks was
delivered under circumstances favor
| ing the fish. but the vessel was in
jured sufficiently to need a thorough
| overhauling in dry dock.