Part 22 (2/2)

”Buck fever, I suppose?”

”Yes, sair; he's all right in a minute,” said the boatman ”It does zat every little soet very much tired out after ze strain”

”It's the reaction,” said Colin's father, as he laved the boy's forehead, and just as Vincente had said, in a moment or two the color cahtened up

”Silly to act like that,” he said Then, seeing his father's look of concern, he added, ”I feel as though I'd like so the boy's e on his exhaustion spell, the older e of sandwiches Two hours of excite a very early breakfast, had affected Colin sharply, but boy-like, he was always ready for eating

”That hat I wanted,” he said, as a few bites disposed of the first sandwich and he took another

The boatler, all right,” he said ”Major Dare, if zat tuna's over a hundred, ze boy ought to get ze button Zat's ze right rod an' line an' it was caught accordin' to ze rules of ze club”

”Could I really get a button?” asked Colin excitedly, the very thought driving away the last remnants of his attack of weakness ”Is it really a tuna? And is it over a hundred pounds?”

”It's a tuna without question,” his father answered, ”but I'ht If Vincente says it is, he's likely to be right”

”Near one hundred and ten, I t'ink,” the boatman answered, ”an' I'm sure over one hundred 'Bout one hundred, six or seven, I should t'ink”

”Do you want to put out the line again, Colin?” his father asked

”Thank you, I've had enough for one day,” the boy replied ”Let's see you get one, Father!”

It was a great delight to lie back on the seat with the consciousness of a great feat achieved, to watch the gulls and sea-birds overhead and the flying-fish ski sea Major Dare had excellent sport with a couple of yellowtail--one of which was played fifty minutes and the other thirty-five--but the honors of the day rested with Colin

It was nearly noon as the little launch ca hot, but there were a score of loungers on the beach to welcome them

”Any luck, Vincente?” called a friendly boatman, as the little craft sped by

”Good luck,” was the reply ”Boy got a hundred-pounder!”

”Did, eh?” exclai round to stare, and Colin felt that this really was fa committee of the club, and in his presence the fish was put on the scales It proved not to be as large as Vincente had thought, being but one hundred and four pounds, but this was a clear in over the hundred, and Colin was just as well pleased as if it had been a hundred and forty

He was eager beyond words to knoould be the verdict of the club, but as the catch had been officially registered, was thoroughly within the rules, and Major Dare was a valued reed that a blue button should be awarded to Colin He was accordingly elected to junior membershi+p and so received it The next teeks passed all too quickly for the boy, for he got the fishi+ng fever in his veins, and if he had not been held in check, he would have stayed on the water night and day Hea thirty-pound yellow-tail and several good-sized white sea-bass and bonito But he never even got a bite froh his fathera two-hundred-pounder The lad's tuna of a hundred and four pounds, also, was far outdone by one his father caught ten days later, which scaled exactly one hundred and seventy pounds

Three tiain fast to a tuna, but was unable to land any of the three His first he lost by jerking too quickly at the strike The second walked aith his entire six hundred feet of line at the first rush, and probably was a fish beyond the rod and reel capacity, and the third broke the line suddenly in some unexplained way, possibly, the boatman said, because the tuna had been seized by a shark when down in thirty fatho-fish only, Vincente?” asked Colin of the boat to leave

”Mos'ly zey do, sair, I t'ink,” was the reply, ”zat is, when zey can get dem But zey'll eat nearly any fish an' zey are quite fon' o' squid

Some fishermen use squid for tuna bait, but I don't t'ink htfully, ”a squid is so like an octopus, isn't it?”

”Well, no, sair, not exac'ly,” the boatman answered ”Bot' of zem have arms wavin' around, but zey look quite diff'rent, I t'ink An' a squid has ten arh, it seems to me,” said Colin ”And are there many of them here? I suppose there must be if they use them for bait”

”Yes, sair, zere is plenty of zem hidin' in ze kelp and ozzer seaweed”