Part 23 (1/2)

”But how do you catch theerous?”

”Not a bit, sair,” answered the boatman ”I t'ink a squid can't do any har as sixty and seventy feet, but in Santa Cat'lina, four or five feet fro a one as I have seen, I t'ink”

”I'd like to go catching squid, just to see how it's done,” said the boy ”The squid I've seen on the Atlantic coast don't often grow bigger than twelve inches”

”Catch plenty of ze you say,” the boatman answered; ”ze easiest way is to spear zeht! I'll get leave, when I go back to lunch”

When Colin proposed a squid-hunt, at first hiscreatures must be poisonous, but the father knew that this was not the case, and having every confidence in Vincente, as his regular boatly, after an early supper, Colin started out with Vincente to a section of the shore The tall, sharp cliffs jutted straight out of the water, and far upon the crest were the characteristic flock of goats browsing along paths impassable to any other aniiant kelp

”We s'all find some squid 'round here,” the boath ze ”

”We'd better get busy, I think,” said Colin, ”it won't be so very long before it begins to get dark”

”We'll see,” was the reply, and picking up his gaffing-hook, Vincente prodded here and there aht so,” he added a minute later, and pointed at the water

”I don't see anything,” said Colin, looking closely ”The water's too muddy”

”No mud,” said the boatman, ”zat's sepia ink ze squid has squirted so as to hide Zey always do zat Zere's probably a lot of zeezzer”

”Is that the real sepia ink, do you know, Vincente?” the boy asked

”Ze squid, no; ze octopus, yes Zere is two or t'ree people here zat catch ze octopus an' sen' ze ink bags to Frisco See, zere's squid!”

As his eyes became a little accustohostlike brown forh the water

”Do they swim backwards?” he asked in surprise

”Always, I t'ink,” said the boatills and zey shoot it out fro tail first I'll bring ze boat closer to ze shore for zey'll back away froet into shoal water where we can spear ze the seaweed as they went, little by little the two drove the hosts of squid back through the kelp to a narrow bay, the water being turned to a s The squid were of fair size, ranging froth, of which the body was about one-third Presently Vincente's hand shot back a little and, with a quick throw, he cast the 'grains,' as the small-barbed harpoon was called, into the h to see the squid, but the boatman smiled

”Got him zat time!” he said ”Pull hirasped the rope that was attached to the small harpoon

”Don't jerk,” the boath an'

unless you pull steady ze spear will draw right out”

Suddenly Colin felt the rope tauten

”What's the ot hold of ze bottoh

”No, you can't ot hold of so on to ze bottom till ze end of ze world, an' he'd let hio his hold Better jerk ze spear out!”

Colin gave a quick yank and the barbed harpoon cah it had never been plunged into anything