CHAPTER XII
FIGHTING A DEVIL-FISH
Many questions were asked our friends by the onlookers, but they gavethem evasive replies, being careful to let out no hint as to their realidentity and connection with the approaching race around the world.Two husky negroes were engaged to watch the airplane until relievedfrom such responsibility, and Mr. Giddings then led the boys to thehome of a Mr. Choate, a close and trusted friend and superintendent ofthe big Miami Aquarium, one of the most noted repositories for livefish in the country.
Mr. Choate was astonished beyond measure when he learned that his oldfriend had come in the big airplane which he and his wife had noticedover the town a short time before, and was still further surprised whenMr. Giddings bound him to secrecy and told him that the young men withhim constituted the crew of one of the two airplanes which was so soonto circle the earth by way of the equator. He shook hands warmly withthem, and with his charming wife made them all very much at home.
Than Mr. Choate, no man in the South knew more about the multitudinousvarieties of fish inhabiting Florida waters. He was not only anauthority on them, but he was also recognized as a most skillfulcatcher of fish. For over an hour that evening he told them absorbingstories of the habits of Gulf Stream denizens, and recited stirringtales of battles with some of the biggest of them. And when he finallyannounced, "To-morrow I shall see that you are given a taste of ourwonderful fish-life by joining me in a fishing expedition," they couldhardly get to sleep for thinking of the fine prospect.
After breakfast the next morning, their host conducted them down to thewaterside and into the beautiful white concrete buildings of theaquarium, and here he proceeded to show them, swimming about in greatglass tanks, the most wonderful collection of fish they had ever seenoutside of the big New York aquarium itself.
"You probably never realized before," said Mr. Choate, "that in thewarm waters of the Gulf Stream, between Miami and Key West, more than600 varieties of fish are to be found. They vary in size all the wayfrom the tiny sea-horse, the size of a baby's little finger, to thegreat tarpon and killer-whale, the latter a vicious creature weighingmany tons and large enough to swallow a good-sized boy without scrapingthe 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 achance at them," said Mr. Choate with a smile. "It would beinteresting to have a motion-picture record of the thoughts which flashthrough the mind of the average inland fisherman the first time hefeels the tiger-like swoop of a five-foot barrancuda, the fierce yankof a hundred-pound amber-jack, or the sullen surge of a big grouper onhis line; for even when armed with the heaviest rod, and a line as bigaround as a silver dollar, he is pretty sure to wish, at leastsubconsciously, that his tackle might be twice as formidable and hisarm twice as strong. Just imagine yourself, for instance, out in theclear blue waters of the Gulf Stream, looking overboard at your baitedhook thirty feet below, which you can see as plainly as if it were inno water at all. Then up comes a great jewfish, which is just aslikely to weigh five hundred pounds as fifty, and to be as large as agood-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 werethrough, watching this group and that group of inmates disportingthemselves about in the salty water with apparent unconcern ofvisitors. In markings some of them rivaled the most beautiful designsthe mind could picture, and others were so brilliant and wonderful incolor that the rainbow was mild in comparison.
From the aquarium our party went up the beach to where the Sky-Bird IIwas resting under guard, and putting two new negroes to the task, theyreturned and had lunch with Mr. Choate, following which he conductedthem 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 bobbedalong in her wake. In this they were to do most of their fishing,their host declared.
Assisted by the northeastward pressure of the Gulf Stream, they madesplendid progress, and that evening cast anchor behind Bimini, a tinyisle which rests like a jeweled feather on a summer sea. It was likepulling teeth to go below deck for sleep and leave the wondrous beautyof the tropical night, with the soft, cool touch of the ever-blowingtrade wind, the shadowy grace of the giant coconut-palms swaying andwhispering on the nearby beach in the moonlight, while the surf,lapping upon the coral reef on the outer side of the isle, lulled themwith its crooning obligato.
At sunrise all hands were up and ready for the sport. A hot breakfastwas served by the cook, after which they piled aboard the motor-tender,throwing in rods, lines, and harpoons.
Through the island channel out to the open sea they went, all exceptthe steersman hanging over the side of the craft and enjoying theamazing sights in the clear depths below. Bob excitedly pointed out agroup of six or eight big tarpon lazily wallowing about fifty feetbeneath them. And less than two minutes afterward, Paul, in no lessexcitement, announced the discovery on his side of a big nurse-sharkwhich was rolling an eye at him from the ocean's floor. John pointedout, from the bow, a great school of fish numbering possibly tenthousand, which Mr. Choate stated were small mangrove-snappers. Theywere parading up and down a stretch of coral shelf along the bottom,and they made a wild dash and hid in crannies under the coral as a bigbarracuda unexpectedly shot into their midst and grabbed one unluckysnapper.
In a little while the fishermen were out into the open sea, and allbegan to scan the pulsating bosom of the Gulf Stream with freshinterest. Strange as it may seem, the fish of tropical waters do notappear to have the slightest apprehension of danger from the noise of amotor-boat, and one cannot only get very close to them, but can followthem about and observe their movements without trouble, particularly ifhe is familiar with their habits.
In a little while Mr. Giddings called the attention of all to a darkshadow not far below the surface, about two boat-lengths on thequarter. Mr. Choate promptly announced this to be a "herring-hog," aspecies of porpoise, and ordered the boat turned that way.
The creature proved to be a full-grown herring-hog, weighing aroundfour hundred pounds, and as this species destroys great numbers offoodfish, Mr. Choate made preparations to attack it. Reaching theproper position, a hand harpoon was thrown by him. It found its mark,and away went the great fish at so fast a clip that the line fairlysmoked as it shot from the reel barrel. In a few moments it was allout, and then the motor-boat gave a jump forward and rushed after theherring-hog. He was towing it, as if it had been a chip!
The engineer now reversed the propeller. This act slowed up theherring-hog noticeably, but still his prodigious strength carried thecraft forward. It was ten minutes or more before he tired sufficientlyfor them to haul him in.
As they were making the big fish fast to the gunwale, a considerabledisturbance was observed on the surface of the water about a quarter ofa mile away. Mr. Choate judged this fuss to be caused either by aleopard-shark killing its prey, or by some battle royal between twoequally big denizens of the deep.
Mr. Giddings and the boys were all excited at the thought of getting aharpoon into a huge leopard-shark, which will fight any and everythingthat swims, as well as many things of flesh which do not swim, notexcepting man himself.
But as the boat drew closer, Mr. Choate, who seemed to have uncannyeyesight plus long experience with subsea life, added greatly to thenervousness of his guests by suddenly exclaiming: "Stand by, men; it'sthe biggest devil-fish I have ever seen!"
At once everybody who could find one, seized a harpoon; and in hisexcitement Tom Meeks even picked up an oar, as if to defend himselfagainst attack!
In a few minutes they were close enough to note that the entire bottomof the ocean in the area where the creature had been seen had gonesuddenly dark; and in the translucent depths abo
ve nearly all of theparty discerned a gigantic shadow moving along. It looked for all theworld like an immense pancake with bat-like wings. These wings werefluttering queerly, and from the action of the fish Mr. Choate said hewas sure it was devouring prey which it had just killed. He now askedPaul if he would like to try a cast. The boy assented eagerly.Bracing his feet in the bottom of the motor-boat he took good aim andlet his harpoon fly.
Paul had hardly hoped to hit the devil-fish. And probably he would nothave done so, inexperienced as he was with a harpoon, except for thefact that the creature was of unusual size and presented a broad mark.As it chanced, the steel went true. The devil-fish arose to thesurface as though hurled upward by a submarine explosion. One of itsgreat battle-like fins broke above the water, sending gallons of sprayover the occupants of the boat, and splintering the harpoon staffagainst the boat's side as if it had been a match stem; then itsten-foot pectoral wing struck the water with a terrific impact, makinga noise which could have been heard several miles away.
For a moment the monster seemed bewildered, and that moment cost itdear, for it enabled Bob to throw another harpoon, which stuck deepinto 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 theirbarrels Mr. Choate grasped one and Mr. Giddings the other, aidedrespectively by John and Tom, and all hands strained to hold them, butalthough they went out slowly, they could not be held, until at lengthPaul and Bob came to the rescue and managed to get the ends aroundcleats in the boat.
However, this did not stop the devil-fish. It made out to sea withremarkable speed for so clumsy-looking a monster, towing the heavy boatand its inmates after it with the ease of a horse pulling a toycarriage! As it went, all hands bore on the lines, adding to itsburden, but for a long time this seemed to have little or no effect.
Every once in a while the devil-fish would literally hurl itselfseveral feet out of the water, and its huge flat body would come downwith a crack like the explosion of a gun shell. Perhaps it wasimagination, but each time it broke the surface in one of thesecavortings it seemed to the boys that the fish was bigger than the lasttime.
Now and then the creature would sound for deep water, in an effort toshake 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 lastmoment, in the event the bow should show signs of diving under.
All of a sudden the lines slackened, and all hands frantically hauledin slack, as the devil-fish turned and dashed toward the boat. He cameup almost under the craft, one great wing actually lifting one side ofthe heavy launch well out of the water and giving everybody a prettystiff scare.
With quick presence of mind, Mr. Choate at this moment let driveanother harpoon, which found lodgment in the monster's flat head, andaway it dashed again with the greatest vigor. As there was now a lineleading to each side of the devil-fish's body, those in the motor-boatfound they were able actually to drive their captive as if it were arunaway horse, a gradual bearing on one "rein" or the other tending todirect the uncertain creature in that direction. Thus very adroitlythey swerved the huge fish toward the now distant shore of Bimini,hoping to master it in the shallower waters of the isle.
By this time the monster had carried them out fully ten miles. It hadnot forgotten its old tactics of deep diving either, and there werenumerous occasions when, after one of these submersions, it came up andstarted fiercely toward the boat, and it took the most skillfulmaneuvering on the part of the steersman, as well as wicked use of oarson the part of those in the craft, to drive the creature off and keepfrom being upset.
They let their anchor drag, and at times reversed the propeller,hauling on this side and that on the harpoon lines when the devil-fishwould not be going to suit them. In this fashion it was slowly butsurely tired out; they began to reel in slack line, and finally theimmense fish was wallowing within twenty feet of the boat, surroundedby hungry sharks which had been attracted by its blood. It would neverdo to goad it now by hauling in on the lines, as it might dart underthe boat and upset it, and the waiting sharks could then make a meal ofits luckless inmates. So Mr. Choate told the boys to use theirautomatic revolvers and see if they could not dispatch the devil-fishat once. This was done, John, Tom, Paul, and Bob all firing severalshots each, which put the monster in such a helpless state that theycould handle it with less danger to themselves.
Until that moment not one of them realized that nearly five hours hadelapsed since they first attacked this Jumbo of the sea, so busy hadthey been every moment of the time in trying to conquer the creature.And everybody was quite exhausted, now that the excitement was over.
Although this fish had three harpoons in his body and a dozen shots inits head and heart, it was by no means dead, and the fishermen foundconsiderable difficulty in towing it into the harbor, some miles away.
The natives of Bimini were greatly interested in the capture, and ourfriends were able to get fifteen of them to help draw the enormouscarcass ashore where all could get a good look at it. They were amazedat the unusual size of the devil-fish, and Mr. Choate declared againthat he had never seen such a large one of its kind. It measuredtwenty-two feet across, and must have weighed close to 5,000 pounds.
"Some people call the octopus a devil-fish," said Mr. Choate. "This isall wrong. They are both large and vicious creatures, but entirelydifferent in looks. The devil-fish belongs to the ray family, and, asyou see, is a huge bat-like creature which uses its body fins with awaving, undulating motion, and propels itself through the water atremarkable speed."
"It is built on the principle of our airplane--in looks," said Tom witha grin; "and in speed, too."
"So it is," responded Mr. Choate. "It derives its satanic name fromthese cephalic fins or lobes which extend outward and upward from eachside of its flat head, like curling horns. When it dashes into aschool of smaller fish, these fins whirl about in every direction, andas they are often four feet long they easily reach more than onehapless fish and he is swept into the yardwide mouth of the monster anddevoured with almost lightning speed."
After a rest, the party went out in the motorboat again, this time tocatch foodfish. They had fine luck, and after an appetizing mealaboard the _L'Apache_, in which their small catch played an importantpart, all set out for Miami, tired and happy.