The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1911-04-14

! hold on and see whether 1t was posi-
| BILE in any way to tire him out.
We then signalled the launch which
had been following us. but keeping Q
good three-quarters of a mile away. to
send the dinghy with some lunch.
They had evidently been expecting
this signal. because in a very few
minutes we were pleased to see the
launch go ahead Of us. and parallel to
the direction we were taking in order
that when the dinghy was dropped
they would only have to row to head
us Off as no ordinary rowboat could
catch us as long as the tuna towed
| without altering his course. When
the boat came alongside, which IT
could only do when the tuna was tow
ing us straight ahead, Charlie grabbed
the dinghy by the gunwale while the
man in the dinghy dumped our grub
aboard. If the fish does not start to
raise Cain we generally let the other
boat stay alongside in order to give
him an extra load to tow.
At the end of an hour and a half I
gave the order to the launch to COM
mence to work on the fish, too. The
launch. being told that the tuna was
approximately IFS yards ahead Of US,
proceeded to run in front of him, and. !
by giving him the propeller wash,
would turn him back into the bal
as he was then going out tU-Bex.|
With this particular fish the launchl
did not have much effect. except to
make him swim deeper. and then he
did not mind the launch at all We
We're towed around the bay all day.
generally inside the outer island tCi-
bou island), but occasionally we went
beyond the islands, sometimes to the
north side of the bay and sometimes
on the south side. About midnight the
tuna took the bit in his teeth and
started seemingly stronger than ever
to tow us toward Ingonish island light
at about seven miles an hour, or bet
ter and did not change his direction
until he was about three miles from
it, when he ran toward the shore, and
gave us a very lively time for about
half an hour or more. Then he
started to leave the shore and go
obliquely to sea. taking us about five
miles from the shore
As soon as daylight came I made
every effort possible to gain some line
on the tuna. and after about 80 or As
minutes of strenuous pumping. / man.
aged to get in two or three turns Of
the double line on the reel, which
meant that the tuna was within 70
feet of us. I Immediately drove q
wedge into the thumb brake. hoping
to prevent him taking more line, but
within a minute or so he took it into
his head TO bolt. and the wedge was
ripped out of the thumb brake. as X
it had been made of straw
Twice more got the double line On
the reel, but each time he ripped IL
out seemingly whenever ke wanted
At $50 a. m. when / had had the
rod for about 10 mortal hours, my
hands and arms were aching 30 that
/ was forced to give 1t up; but before
doing so l asked Charlie IL he would
like to take a turn at the rod He
took the rod for 20 minutes, and dur
ing that time twice pumped the f1sh
to within 30 feet of the boat, drove
the wedge in the brake. but, al be-
fore. the fish took the line ont again
at will
I again took the rod for about IS
minutes, and at the end Of that time.
a little after z a. m, cut the line and
let him go.
We went aboard the 1aunch--I tslrn-
ed in. and the others had breakfast
in the cabin. I slept till we reached
Sydney. at 1880 a. m, feeling none
the worse for as exciting a mc1or-and-
fish-power cruise AZ anyone could
wish for.