the rod could not be pulled away from the chair. In less than te n seconds after my bait disappeared I had a strike, and in another second I w as fast again. It required about a quarter of an hour to lick the nex t one, around three hundred pounds in weight. We got him, tied hi m alongside his comrade; and his arrival started another fight.
The next two severed my leader, one at the gaff and the other was cu t clean about the middle of the fight. That required other new leaders.
This last was put on by Bill and my bait thrown overboard, when we hear d a hard thumping behind us. Peter, the scalawag, had dropped a hook dow n on a heavy cord, and he was fast to a shack. He got the end of the leade r up. The shark was a whopper and he roared around on the surface an d banged against the boat.
"Help! Help!" yelled Peter.
Bill ran to his assistance just as I had another strike. In a twinkling I w as hooked to my heaviest gray nurse. He gave me a very hard battle. I n eeded my heavy outfit on him. But I was getting him well under contro l when Peter's shark swam under the boat and fouled my leader with his.
In the mOlTe that ensued Peter's shark broke away. I worked on min e awhile longer before I trusted him to Pete and Bill, whose blood was u p and who had a lust to kill these man-eaters. No doubt mine was up, too , because I would have caught those devils until I was used up. This gra y nurse was my largest to land. He weighed around five hundred pounds. Whe n they tied him, head down, tail up, next to the other three, there wa s another convulsion. The boat cantled over and I had to hold on. Four gra y nurse sharks in a row! And all possessed of devils! They did not appea r to be sick or weak. They just fought.
"Peter, for Pete's sake let up on that hand-line stuff," I begged.
"Like hob I will," repeated my boatman.
"But you'll only foul my line."
"No matter. We'll ketch 'em."
And he had hold of another in less than ten seconds, even while Bill wa s baiting my hook. This time I watched. And I grasped that Peter would no t give the sharks an inch of line. He sweat and swore and held on like gri m death. The hook pulled out. Then I stood up to peer over the gunwale.
Sharks thick as fence pickets!
But I could not see clearly. A few were small and many were about te n feet long, and several were very large. I wanted one of the biggest. M y next was a smaller one, however, and I soon dragged him up. Peter had on e on, too, and could not help us. Bill held the leader and the shark whil e I gaffed it. What a strange all-satisfying sensation, as the steel wen t in! But of course I was wholly primitive at the moment. The shark gave a wag and the gaff handle hit me on the head. I went down, not for th e count, but to bounce up furious.
"Put a rope over his tail," yelled Bill.
"Don't do that," ordered Peter, aghast.
"Mind your own business," I replied. "Looks like you had your hands full."
Grasping up a tail rope, I widened the noose to bend over the gunwale an d try to lasso that sweeping tail. I got the noose over, but before I coul d draw it tight he flipped it off. He bit at my hands and swept them asid e as if they were paper. I was, drenched to the skin. Then he hit me a resounding smack on the cheek and temple.. Hurt? I was never so hurt i n my life. Nor mad! I bent lower, grim and desperate.
"Look out!" yelled Bill. And before I could move he let go gaff an d leader, and dragged me up. I had a glimpse of a gray flash, a crue l pointed nose. One of the devils had made a pass at me.
"My God!.. . B ill, did that shark...?" I gasped.
"He did. Grab the rod and pull your shark back.. . A fraid I've los t the gaff."
While I was pumping and winding my shark back Peter broke the heavy cor d on the one he had hooked. That made him madder than ever. Bill ra n forward to recover the gaff, which came out of the shark and floated up.
"I'll get one or bust," sang out Peter.
"This is a swell way to get rid of leaders," I
The next two severed my leader, one at the gaff and the other was cu t clean about the middle of the fight. That required other new leaders.
This last was put on by Bill and my bait thrown overboard, when we hear d a hard thumping behind us. Peter, the scalawag, had dropped a hook dow n on a heavy cord, and he was fast to a shack. He got the end of the leade r up. The shark was a whopper and he roared around on the surface an d banged against the boat.
"Help! Help!" yelled Peter.
Bill ran to his assistance just as I had another strike. In a twinkling I w as hooked to my heaviest gray nurse. He gave me a very hard battle. I n eeded my heavy outfit on him. But I was getting him well under contro l when Peter's shark swam under the boat and fouled my leader with his.
In the mOlTe that ensued Peter's shark broke away. I worked on min e awhile longer before I trusted him to Pete and Bill, whose blood was u p and who had a lust to kill these man-eaters. No doubt mine was up, too , because I would have caught those devils until I was used up. This gra y nurse was my largest to land. He weighed around five hundred pounds. Whe n they tied him, head down, tail up, next to the other three, there wa s another convulsion. The boat cantled over and I had to hold on. Four gra y nurse sharks in a row! And all possessed of devils! They did not appea r to be sick or weak. They just fought.
"Peter, for Pete's sake let up on that hand-line stuff," I begged.
"Like hob I will," repeated my boatman.
"But you'll only foul my line."
"No matter. We'll ketch 'em."
And he had hold of another in less than ten seconds, even while Bill wa s baiting my hook. This time I watched. And I grasped that Peter would no t give the sharks an inch of line. He sweat and swore and held on like gri m death. The hook pulled out. Then I stood up to peer over the gunwale.
Sharks thick as fence pickets!
But I could not see clearly. A few were small and many were about te n feet long, and several were very large. I wanted one of the biggest. M y next was a smaller one, however, and I soon dragged him up. Peter had on e on, too, and could not help us. Bill held the leader and the shark whil e I gaffed it. What a strange all-satisfying sensation, as the steel wen t in! But of course I was wholly primitive at the moment. The shark gave a wag and the gaff handle hit me on the head. I went down, not for th e count, but to bounce up furious.
"Put a rope over his tail," yelled Bill.
"Don't do that," ordered Peter, aghast.
"Mind your own business," I replied. "Looks like you had your hands full."
Grasping up a tail rope, I widened the noose to bend over the gunwale an d try to lasso that sweeping tail. I got the noose over, but before I coul d draw it tight he flipped it off. He bit at my hands and swept them asid e as if they were paper. I was, drenched to the skin. Then he hit me a resounding smack on the cheek and temple.. Hurt? I was never so hurt i n my life. Nor mad! I bent lower, grim and desperate.
"Look out!" yelled Bill. And before I could move he let go gaff an d leader, and dragged me up. I had a glimpse of a gray flash, a crue l pointed nose. One of the devils had made a pass at me.
"My God!.. . B ill, did that shark...?" I gasped.
"He did. Grab the rod and pull your shark back.. . A fraid I've los t the gaff."
While I was pumping and winding my shark back Peter broke the heavy cor d on the one he had hooked. That made him madder than ever. Bill ra n forward to recover the gaff, which came out of the shark and floated up.
"I'll get one or bust," sang out Peter.
"This is a swell way to get rid of leaders," I
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