Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-08-08
Albert
By James J. Montague


= hook at its outer end a small
but demonstrative sea trout, and pro-
ceeded to cease work for the night. "It
ain no use, no MORE" he said. "They
was a time when, by setting out here
utes could ketch more mackerel than
/ could carry hum. But Albert was
alive then. That made all the differ
ence Peoplel tell you fish is cold
blooded and amt got no friendship
into 'em. But I know better. Albert
he come of what is considered the
meanest race of fish that swims-
sharks-but once he knowed you, an
knowed your hand want agin' him,
like everybody elses is just because
some Of his family is man eaters he'd
do your biddin' like setter dog, an
be proud to do it too"
do you mean to say" I asked,
"that shark can be trained, like
dog?"
"What did I say so for if didn't
mean to say it? Not all sharks, prob'ly
though suppose you could git on the
good side of a lot of 'em if you knew
how, but some sharks anyway. Ami
mails an fish is pretty much like men
folks. Some of them mean-gosh aw-
full mean, an stays that way through
their lives. But others has warm hearts
if their blood Is cold, an will go
long distance out of their way to re-
turn a favor. Me and Albert worked
out here off the end of this pier-or
him Off it, an me on it-for three
years an we come to know each other
an to have confidence in each other,
just like that Roman Teller Anderson
an the lion done. You know. Anderson
found the lion out in the jungle with
thorn into his foot an picked it out,
and years afterward they met in one
of them Roman theaters, an the lion,
as soon as he got sight of him, stops
snarlin' an begins to purr, an prac-
tically spilled the show for the folks
that had paid good money to see An
derson et.''
"You don't mean to tell me-" said,
that you pulled thorn out of AL
bert's fin?" l asked.
mo, not thorn, but wusS. A shark
hook. He was a little Teller then, not
morn five foot long. One day when
was fishin' off this very mole he comes
bilin' from deep water an grabs my
line an heads out to sea with it again.
Of course knowed right away what
1t was, for the speed he made, so
Stacked off an Stacked off till he got
kind Of tired, an then sort of held
back. 1t was heavy tackle I had used
for tuna, with a long wire bent onto
the hook, so he couldn't bust it or
chaw it off.
"Well, me an that fish had it hot
an heavy till way past midnight, an
then, bein' sure he couldn't work his
self loose 1 bent the line onto a cleat
an went hum to get little sleep.
The next mornin' was back hopin' he
had played hisself out tryin' to break
the line, but as soon as he found there
was sOmethin' at the other end of the
line away he SCOTS agin' pretty near
as fresh as he was the night before.
All day an pretty near all night we
had 1t out but along toward twelve
he gifts sort of feeble, an just made
a little yank now an then while was
pullin' him in.
KNOWN them critters as l do l
was goin' to lam him one with the
mallet, but there wasn't no mallet on
the dock. So, shark meat not bein'
scarce around home, an his hide, bein'
young, not worth sellin' to a dealer,
put my foot on his neck an held him
as stiddy as l could while l got the
hook out of his moutL. Then l gives
him a push an back into the water he
goes.
II expected to see him turn belly
up, him havln' bin so long out Of the
water but instid he just rolls his eyes
around, gives me sort Of meanin'
look, an goes swimmln' off out to sea.
For two weeks after that never gives
him a thought.
"But one day when the mackerel
was runnin' l went out in my sklff
to ketch a mess of 'em with hand
line. AS soon as l struck the head
of the school the little devils turned
In a bunch, like you see birds turn In
the air sometimes, an off they goes.
No use rowin' after them. When
mackerel decides he don't want none
of your company you don't get none
of his. an you might as well haul
your tackle aboard an row back home.