The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-03

End of Line.
 Hunt byTOEehlieht for Black RObaIo
 of Mexican Waters--Fight in q Ca-
 We lay in camp at the mouth of
 the Lerma, says A. D. Temple in the Mexican Herald. We" was made up
 of Chihuile (salt water catfish), the harpooner, a glance at whose mouth
 explained his nickname-he was called
 Weely for short Fl Negro the paddler and the writer. The sun was just sink ing into the sea as we lit our cigarros and commenced making ready for our nightly hunt. The torch and bulseye lantern were filled with oil, an extra
 harpoon and line were slowed in the sf eighteen foot canoe as well as a rife \ and a heavy six-shooter. A chunk of driftwood with a doubled up overcoat on top made a very comfortable seat
 amidships for the boss of the outfit
 The nor 'wester had died down and
 the flood tide was coming in as Weely
 took his station in the bow, standing
 erect, harpoon in hand. seated my
 self on my improvised stool, with the QtSUOk III 1lly UclL dIG lL6 III16 CIOS6 at
 hand. Impelled by vigorous push from El Negro, we shot out into the
 stream.
 4uAs we got into the shadows of the mangrove trees on the further side
 he river Weely lit the torch that
 over the bow, and with strong
 toiseless strokes of the paddle we
 along close under the bank, with
 tide in our favor and watching in-
 tly for a sight of the fiery red eyes
 an alligator gleaming in the torch
 ght or possibly the green eyes of a
 Mexican tiger or a deer gazing at us from among the tree trunks on the
 bank.
 A tree on the bank ahead showed up white and ghostly in the starlight as if entirely covered with a white sheet As
 we swept under its branches there was a sudden rustic and swish of wings and a flock of several hundred white ibises launched themselves into the air and
 wheeling heavily around and over us in the darkness. with hoarse cries and croaks protested against our intrusion on their roasting place.
 On the starboard side out in the swift I current two red lights showed, look \ ing like a couple of well lit cigar stubs. 3 About thirty feet from the bow Weely
 made a vigorous throw. There was s a\rattle and jingle of steel on bone, and he recoiled his line and made ready for another throw, with an exclamation of disgust. What was the matter, Weely? Why didn't you get your string tied to that fellow?" The har- I poon struck him in the head, Senor, < and that is almost solid bone, and a I harpoon wont stick in it" was the re- I ply. You wait little and I'll tie on
 to one good and fast usted vera"
 A few minutes later we were nearing the sand bar of the wise alligator"
 when suddenly WeeIy's arm shot out E and the light farpoon whistied through
 the air and found its mark. There was
 swirl and splash of the water, and
 the line tautened up like string and
 the canoe leaped forwad at double
 speed through the darkness. What is ' 1t, Weey?" T don't know, Senor; it ] was down deep in the water; it is a { caiman or black robalo, and a big | one"
 The line cut the water mark like a ( knife as our game toved us up little M tide creek that branches off from the
 main channel until a pile of drift
 Alocked our way; he then turned and
 billed us out again to mid river, and
 ken stopped exhausted and came to
 Re surface
 NIt was a superb black robalo, nearly
 fur feet in length and weighing from
 forty to fifty pounds.
 His exact length was 45 inches and t his tail was 10 inches width; l had no means of getting his weight
 Pull him in to the canoe, Weely, and
 we knock him on the head" Weely $ pulled him alongside and put one hand # in his gills, but the fish was too strong |E for him and nearly pulled him over board T can't handle him, Senor; you had better shoot him." A bullet in the Al brains quieted his struggles and we pulled him aboad After we had ad-
 mired him and agreed that 1t was the finest fish we could hope to catch that
 we went on with the fioodtide up the riysr.
 Let ,rne say here that the black robalo
 is simply a salt water variety of the large mouth black bass of the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. l It closely resembles its fresh water rel ative in everything except size, as it averages much heavier going from two or three pounds up to forty or fifty and even over.
 It Is an anadromous fish, like the sal mon, living in both fresh and salt water, and ascending the rivers yearly in spawning season. In fresh water or salt it takes live bait freely, and I be- lieve would take the fly also if offered. am in absolute ignorance of its prop CT name in English. On a line it is a game fighter, and it is common on both coasts of the republic and is frequently on sale in the Mexico City markets, but have never seen specimen in either Texas or California on sale in the mar kets.
 Just below Cane Brake Bend we shined the eyes of an alligator dead ahead, Weely made an artistic throw and harpooned him in the neck. How he ran with us up the river anddown, across and back, the canoe carrying a "bone in her teeth" as we sped along. Then he came to bay and turned on us, biting a chunk out of the harpoon in his rage He was an old bull about g feet long, and full of fight, but rife ball in the head knocked all the fight