us as the tuna bent my rod. The great ship passed on in a
seething roar--passed on to her tragic fate. We rode the heavy swells
she lifted--and my tuna got away.

Sam Johnson is from Norway. His ancestors lived by fishing. Sam knows
and loves the sea. He has been a sailor before the mast, but he is more
fisherman than sailor. He is a stalwart man, with an iron, stern,
weather-beaten face and keen blue eyes, and he has an arm like the
branch of an oak. For many years he has been a market fisherman at
Seabright, where on off days he pursued the horse-mackerel for the fun
of it, and which earned him his name. Better than any man I ever met Sam
knows the sea; he knows fish, he knows boats and engines. And I have
reached a time in my experience of fishing where I want that kind of a
boatman.

* * * * *

Sam and I went after sailfish at Long Key and we got them. But I do not
consider the experience conclusive. If it had not been for my
hard-earned knowledge of the Pacific swordfish, and for Sam's keenness
on the sea, we would not have been so fortunate. We established the
record, but, what is more important, we showed what magnificent sport is
possible. This advent added much to the attractiveness of Long Key for
me. And Long Key was attractive enough before.

Sailfish had been caught occasionally at Long Key, during every season.
But I am inclined to believe that, in most instances, the capture of
sailfish had been accident--mere fisherman's luck. Anglers have fished
along the reef and inside, trolling with heavy tackle for anything that
might strike, and once in a while a sailfish has somehow hooked himself.
Mr. Schutt tells of hooking one on a Wilson spoon, and I know of another
angler who had this happen. I know of one gentleman who told me he
hooked a fish that he supposed was a barracuda, and while he was
fighting this supposed barracuda he was interested in the leaping of a
sailfish near his boat. His boatman importuned him to hurry in the
barracuda so there would be a chance to go after the leaping sailfish.
But it turned out that the sailfish was on his hook. Another angler went
out with heavy rod, the great B-Ocean reel, and two big hooks (which is
an outfit suitable only for large tuna or swordfish), and this fellow
hooked a sailfish which had no chance and was dead in less than ten
minutes. A party of anglers were out on the reef, fishing for anything,
and they decided to take a