ium itself.

"You probably never realized before," said Mr. Choate, "that in the
warm waters of the Gulf Stream, between Miami and Key West, more than
600 varieties of fish are to be found. They vary in size all the way
from the tiny sea-horse, the size of a baby's little finger, to the
great tarpon and killer-whale, the latter a vicious creature weighing
many tons and large enough to swallow a good-sized boy without scraping
the buttons off his jacket."

"It must be a lot of sport to catch some of these fairly big fish,"
remarked John Ross.

"Well, this afternoon I shall take you fellows where you can all have a
chance at them," said Mr. Choate with a smile. "It would be
interesting to have a motion-picture record of the thoughts which flash
through the mind of the average inland fisherman the first time he
feels the tiger-like swoop of a five-foot barrancuda, the fierce yank
of a hundred-pound amber-jack, or the sullen surge of a big grouper on
his line; for even when armed with the heaviest rod, and a line as big
around as a silver dollar, he is pretty sure to wish, at least
subconsciously, that his tackle might be twice as formidable and his
arm twice as strong. Just imagine yourself, for instance, out in the
clear blue waters of the Gulf Stream, looking overboard at your baited
hook thirty feet below, which you can see as plainly as if it were in
no water at all. Then up comes a great jewfish, which is just as
likely to weigh five hundred pounds as fifty, and to be as large as a
good-sized Shetland pony, and he makes a lunge for your bait, and--
Well, you can go right on imagining the rest, too."

In all, they visited a half-hundred tanks of fish before they were
through, watching this group and that group of inmates disporting
themselves about in the salty water with apparent unconcern of
visitors. In markings some of them rivaled the most beautiful designs
the mind could picture, and others were so brilliant and wonderful in
color that the rainbow was mild in comparison.

From the aquarium our party went up the beach to where the Sky-Bird II
was resting under guard, and putting two new negroes to the task, they
returned and had lunch with Mr. Choate, following which he conducted
them down to the pier and aboard his sea-going motor-yacht, _L'Apache_.
This trim vessel had a crew of five men, and as she started away,
headed for the Bahama Islands, a 25-foot motor-driven tender bobbed
along in her wake. I