re was of unusual size and presented a broad mark.
As it chanced, the steel went true. The devil-fish arose to the
surface as though hurled upward by a submarine explosion. One of its
great battle-like fins broke above the water, sending gallons of spray
over the occupants of the boat, and splintering the harpoon staff
against the boat's side as if it had been a match stem; then its
ten-foot pectoral wing struck the water with a terrific impact, making
a noise which could have been heard several miles away.

For a moment the monster seemed bewildered, and that moment cost it
dear, for it enabled Bob to throw another harpoon, which stuck deep
into its body near the spine. With a mad dash it started off to sea,
taking the harpoon lines with it. As the lines sped out of their
barrels Mr. Choate grasped one and Mr. Giddings the other, aided
respectively by John and Tom, and all hands strained to hold them, but
although they went out slowly, they could not be held, until at length
Paul and Bob came to the rescue and managed to get the ends around
cleats in the boat.

However, this did not stop the devil-fish. It made out to sea with
remarkable speed for so clumsy-looking a monster, towing the heavy boat
and its inmates after it with the ease of a horse pulling a toy
carriage! As it went, all hands bore on the lines, adding to its
burden, but for a long time this seemed to have little or no effect.

Every once in a while the devil-fish would literally hurl itself
several feet out of the water, and its huge flat body would come down
with a crack like the explosion of a gun shell. Perhaps it was
imagination, but each time it broke the surface in one of these
cavortings it seemed to the boys that the fish was bigger than the last
time.

Now and then the creature would sound for deep water, in an effort to
shake its captors off, and several times it went down so far that Mr.
Choate stood ready with upraised hatchet to cut the lines at the last
moment, in the event the bow should show signs of diving under.

All of a sudden the lines slackened, and all hands frantically hauled
in slack, as the devil-fish turned and dashed toward the boat. He came
up almost under the craft, one great wing actually lifting one side of
the heavy launch well out of the water and giving everybody a pretty
stiff scare.

With quick presence of mind, Mr. Choate at this moment let drive
another harpoon, which found lodgment in the monster's