haul in hand over hand, the line being strong enough to land a
250 pound fish. Up he came, the beauty, all silver and scarlet
and blue, five feet long if an inch, and weighing 35 pounds.
Well, such a lot of astonished men I never saw. They could
hardly believe their eyes. That such a daring innovation should
be successful was hardly to be believed, even with the vigorous
evidence before them. Even grim Captain Slocum came to look and
turned upon me as I thought a less lowering brow than usual,
while Mr. Count, the mate, fairly chuckled again at the thought
of how the little Britisher had wiped the eyes of these veteran
fishermen. The captive was cut open, and two recent flying-fish
found in his maw, which were utilized for new bait, with the
result that there was a cheerful noise of hissing and spluttering
in the galley soon after, and a mess of fish for all hands.

Shortly afterwards a fresh breeze sprang up, which proved to be
the beginning of the N.E. trades, and fairly guaranteed us
against any very bad weather for some time to come.

Somehow or other it had leaked out that we were to cruise the
Cape Verd Islands for a spell before working south, and the
knowledge seemed to have quite an enlivening effect upon our
Portuguese shipmates.

Most of them belonged there, and although there was but the
faintest prospect of their getting ashore upon any pretext
whatever, the possibility of seeing their island homes again
seemed to quite transform them. Hitherto they had been very
moody and exclusive, never associating with us on the white side,
or attempting to be at all familiar. A mutual atmosphere of