The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-08-13
'TheHOWe& StetsOn Co.

to land a 400-pound swordfish thar ,, either wanted to be landed, or had lost it's head.
 .'The summer method of codfishing is for the fisherman to go to the grounds in their schooners, anchor and then scatter about In the small boats. This is to avoid the tangling of lines, as well as to get the bait to the notice of 8 greater number of fish.
 These small boats are anchored with grapnels at the end of long ropes. l went out one day with one of these
 boats, off Cox's Ledge. We were pulling in cod pretty lively when along came a swordfish swimming near the sur face, with his jaws wide open.
 l He was moving slowly, evidently feeding. The grapnel rope was right in I his path. It was big enough and plain l enough for him to see and avoid. but
 he swam on. and the rope went into his mouth.
 I Instead of retreating when he felt the rope drawn taut in his mouth, as he could readily have done, and freeing I himself from 1t, the big fish forged
 steadily ahead. If he had made any sort of a struggle he would have cap sized the boat and tipped us into the l sea, and the fisherman at first thought l this was what he intended to do, and, l let the swordfish have it if he want l ed it anchor and all. But he showed no disposition to do anything of the sort, so
 the men began to pull in the rope. Tt slipped through the swordfish's l mouth as easily as if 1t was running I over pulleys, until the grapnel came up I and caught; on that side of the f1sh's I head. Even when he found that tug
 ging against his head the swordflsh, in-
 stead of making an effort to release
 himself by simply backing away from it
 took the bit in his teeth. increased his
 speed and took the boat in tow, haul
 ing 1t along at a gait and with a deter lmination that made the fisherman again l willing to let him have the rope.
 Before any one could cut it, though,
 we were hailed by another of the
 boats. which was llastening to our aid. and it overhauled us. The anchor rope Of this boat was fastened to the boat
 end of our rope, and of a third boat ;fastened to that one. This made a rope glong enough to stretch to the schooner,
 and we rowed there with it.
 l All hands then pulled up on the
 swordfish and brought him to. We hauled him in, he persisting in holding on to the grapnel, or rather in letting it
 hold on to him, for he could have got jrid if it by simply turning his head. I T say we hauled him in, but the
 fact was that when he found he nc longer had the boat right along with the grapnel, for all the world as if he were
 carrying it to us to give it up. When he came alongside he made no effort to
 dive or get away, even after an oai
 blade had been through his gills.
 "Then we 1assoed his f1ukes and
 jabbed a boathook into him and hauled
 him aboard the schooner. Ordinarily
 when fishermen are after swordfish they have to be extremely wary in the chase and be skillful in many strategic man. oeuvres before they may hope to get 6 harpoon into one; so the complacency ] and willingness of this monster in com ing to the sacrific was beyond the com. prehension of any of those old fisher
 men who saw him do it. ."-New York l Sun.