Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-11-19
'uch a perfect rod in his hands be.

such perfect rod in his hands be-
fore, and his pulse stirred bravely.
There was not a ripple on the sur
face OF the dead blue lagoon. The
scattered boats from the hotel lay off |
to the north, as motionless. as if glued
there. Bert had chosen new ground
near the narrow inlet, where the tide
runs in from the sea in long, pulsat-
ing jets, like blood in an artery.
He had dropped anchor there at
slack water but the iridescent film
that gathers on the surface at such
times was now beginning to break up
into lines and darkening feathers
that glided slowly toward the head of
the lagoon. Soon it was all gone.
Then the first clean gush of sea-
water came, lifting the boat little,
and letting it sink gently as it rolled
on
With this green water came preda-
tory fish. Few of them were visible,
but now and then a porpoise showed
slice of fat, muddy back, or pir-
atically slanted fin ripped the surface.
In the lagoon there was plenty Of
gentle prey.
When the tarpon came, it was
descent Of Norsemen. Boring their
way up the inlet, their bright backs
rising and falling, they came in rush
ing feets-eager to be the first on the
feeding grounds. They stretched
from shore to shore like the metal
plates of steel corslet, racing so
close to the boat that they cast spray
into it, but not one noticed the
hooked mullet. He was too insignifis-
cant all by himself. They wanted
school to charge and devour, worry
| and scatter. In few minutes they
| were gone with the inflow that had
brought them.
ives too far down." walled Lee,
| in despair. @Dey's gone up to de
boats, and Sid II CATCH our ns11, sure
Pull up de anchor, Mister Bert. Pull
him up"
"Pull up nothing" said Bert.
sturdily, although he was somewhat
pale. He had never seen so many Of
the great fish before. 1--WE watched
this place, and if you can't catch one
here, you can't anywhere"
He drew in his line and put On a
! vigorous mullet from the bucket. The
"bait'' scooted here and there, feeling
the danger. In every way it did its
best to draw that danger down upon
it's defenseless head; but the sun
passed the zenith and sank slowly
toward the west. and the reel hung
silent on the rod.
The fish "were not biting" as the
anglers say. They were there and at
work. Patches of shadow and patches
of foam nothing the blue of the
lagoon showed, that the mullet and
small fry were being harried, but nc
! silk line tautened. Anglers are pa
} tient folk, but they have their super
stitions, and one of them is that when
fish show disinclination to bite, they
cannot be made to. One after an.
other, as the sun sunk, they quietly
took their rods apart and stole back
: to the landing; all but Ber: and the
l Bostonian, who had made it princi
: pie to combat all conventional con
> clusions.
It was high food. Six hours hat
! passed. The drowsy Lee came out O
I. his cat-nap suddenly, and with an in
g articulate expression. Something hat
e surged in the water close by. TIL
t dropping line took life and straight
4 ened mysteriously.
4 But before Bert could strike, tn
e water boiled and broke noisily, and
d wide dorsal fin cutit like a knife. O.
: the hook were the staring head an
!, bleeding shoulders Of a starpon, tn
t rest of whose body lay in the may
Of thievish shark.
d Il reckon we-all better go O
:, home,"- said Lee, shudderingly. g
o doan' like fishing fo' sharks.
t. Bert put on another mullet an
J. cast it clear of the cloudy spot on tn
+ water.
e "This is where we get action h
n said. Some Of 'em are going GU
: hungry.
e The bait had scarcely sunk beIo7
the surface before the same uncann
occurred Again the lin
out and out, stealing away fro1
boat Then Bert sstsssse 4 4
leI a shower Of drops the line tfaigh
l. ened like a steel wire, and the 10
e creaked under the dead weight. .
it was dead weight only for an il
stant. After that it was SO nluc
le. alive that the reel shrieked high /
sr the ferceness Of it's rush.
One hundred feet from the bo;
III the tarpon shot out of the water. e
N he went, his cheeks faring from Il
D. red gills till he seemed all enormol
IN head Still he rose, foot on foot
d. binding silver, and at the gre;
as length Of him Lee gasped and pulle
Id the rabbits foot FROM his pocket.