completely
round out my fishing experience. And I shall try. But I doubt that I
will be so fortunate. It takes a long time. Boschen was years catching
his fish. Moreover, though it is hard to get a broadbill to bite--and
harder to hook him--it is infinitely harder to do anything with him
after you do get fast to him.

* * * * *

A word about Avalon boatmen. They are a fine body of men. I have heard
them maligned. Certainly they have petty rivalries and jealousies, but
this is not their fault. They fish all the seasons around and have been
there for years. Boatmen at Long Key and other Florida resorts--at
Tampico, Aransas Pass--are not in the same class with the Avalon men.
They want to please and to excel, and to number you among their patrons
for the future. And the boats--nowhere are there such splendid boats.
Captain Danielson's boat had utterly spoiled me for fishing out of
any other. He had it built, and the ideas of its construction were a
product of fifteen years' study. It is thirty-eight feet long, and wide,
with roomy, shaded cockpit and cabin, and comfortable revolving chairs
to fish from. These chairs have moving sockets into which you can jam
the butt of your rod; and the backs can be removed in a flash. Then you
can haul at a fish! The boat lies deep, with heavy ballast in the stern.
It has a keel all the way, and an enormous rudder. Both are constructed
so your line can slip under the boat without fouling. It is equipped
with sail and a powerful engine. Danielson can turn this boat, going at
full speed, in its own length! Consider the merit of this when a tuna
strikes, or a swordfish starts for the open sea. How many tarpon,
barracuda, amberjack, and tuna I have lost on the Atlantic seaboard just
because the boat could not be turned in time!

[Illustration: THE WILD OATS SLOPE OF CLEMENTE]

[Illustration: WHERE THE DEEP-BLUE SWELL BOOMS AGAINST THE LAVA WALL
OF CLEMENTE ISLAND]

* * * * *

Clemente Island is a mountain of cliffs and caves. It must be of
volcanic origin, and when the lava rose, hot and boiling, great
blow-holes formed, and hardened to make the caves. It is an exceedingly
beautiful island. The fishing side is on the north, or lee, shore, where
the water is very deep right off the rocks. There are kelp-beds along
the shore, and the combination of deep water, kelp, and small fish is
what holds the swordfish there in Augu