ong time while
the line slowly bagged, drifting toward us. Suddenly I felt a quick,
strong pull. It electrified me. I yelled to Dan. He said, excitedly,
"Feed it to him!" but the line ceased to play out. I waited, slowly
losing hope, with my pulses going back to normal. After we drifted for
five minutes I wound in the line. The barracuda was gone and the leader
had been rolled up. This astounded us. That swordfish had taken my bait.
I felt his first pull. Then he had come toward the boat, crushing the
bait off the hook, without making even a twitch on the slack line. It
was heartbreaking. But we could not have done any different. Dan decided
the fish had come after the teasers. This experience taught us exceeding
respect for the broadbill.

Again we were off early in the morning. Wind outside and growing rough.
Sun bright until off Isthmus, when we ran into fog. The Jap
albacore-boats were farther west. Albacore not biting well. Sea grew
rough. About eleven thirty the fog cleared and the sea became
beautifully blue and white-crested.

I was up on the deck when a yell from below made me jump. I ran back.
Some one was holding my rod, and on the instant that a huge swordfish
got the bait had not the presence of mind to throw off the drag and let
out line. We hurried to put on another flying-fish and I let out the
line.

Soon Dan yelled, "There he is--behind your bait!"

I saw him--huge, brown, wide, weaving after my bait. Then he hit it with
his sword. I imagined I could feel him cut it. Winding in, I found the
bait cut off neatly back of the head. While Dan hurried with another
bait I watched for the swordfish, and saw him back in the wake, rather
deep. He was following us. It was an intensely exciting moment. I let
the bait drift back. Almost at once I felt that peculiar rap at my bait,
then another. Somehow I knew he had cut off another flying-fish. I
reeled in. He had severed this bait in the middle. Frantically we baited
again. I let out a long line, and we drifted. Hope was almost gone when
there came a swift tug on my line, and then the reel whirred. I thumbed
the pad lightly. Dan yelled for me to let him have it. I was all
tingling with wonderful thrills. What a magnificent strike! He took line
so fast it amazed me.

All at once, just as Dan yelled to hook him, the reel ceased to turn,
the line slacked. I began to jerk hard and wind in, all breathless with
excitement and frenzy of hope. Not for half a dozen p