Old Gold Part 35

"It pulls like a whale," panted the mate, as he endeavoured to control the line.

"Never mind," said Briscoe; "give him time, and you'll tire him out."

"If he don't tire me out. I say, it's a monster. It must be a big 'gator."

"Never mind what it is," cried Brace excitedly: "catch him."

"It's all very fine to talk," growled the mate, "but he'll have the skin off my hands if I stick to him, for it seems as if instead of me catching him he's caught me, and I expect he'll have me in the water soon."

Briscoe, who was as excited as anyone, burst into a hearty laugh at this, and, laying down his gun, took up the short-handled gaff-hook which lay beneath the thwarts.

"That won't be any good for this fellow," cried Lynton; "it's a great shark, I believe. Take the boathook."

"No, no; it's too blunt," said Brace. "Look here, Lynton: you go on playing him."

"Play! Do you call this play? My arms are being racked."

"He must be getting exhausted now. He can't keep on at that very much longer."

"Well, if he doesn't soon give way, I shall have to do so."

"Wait a minute or two and then get the brute to the surface, and I'll put a charge of big shot through him."

"No, no; he'll break away if you do that," cried the mate. "I want to get him aboard if I can manage it. I say: the tackle isn't too big and coa.r.s.e, is it, Mr Brace?"

"I didn't expect you were going to hook a thing like this at the first attempt. Give him some more line."

"There's on'y 'bout a fathom more of it left, sir," cried the man who was casting the line off from the winder.

"Let out half and then get a hold too, my lad," said Lynton.

"Ay, ay, sir," answered the man.

"This is rather too much of a good thing," said the mate. "Here, let the boat go with him; it'll ease the strain."

"Why, he has been towing us for the last five minutes," said Briscoe.

"Hi! hullo!" cried Brace. "Oh, what luck! Gone!"

The men groaned, for the line, which had up till then been quite tense and kept on cutting through the water as the prisoner darted here and there in its wild efforts to escape, suddenly became slack, and, with an angry e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, Lynton began to haul slowly in.

"I knew it; I knew it," he said: "that tackle wasn't half strong enough."

"But what bad luck!" cried Brace. "Never mind. Stick on another hook, Lynton. I say, that must have been an alligator. There couldn't be fish that size out here."

"Pulled like a sea-cow," said Briscoe.

"Cow! Went through the water like a steam launch," said Lynton.

"Well, whatever it was, it has gone now, and we must hope for better luck next time," said Brace.

They rested for a few minutes in silence; then Lynton turned to Brace and said:

"Just put your hand in the locker over there, Mr Brace, and get out the largest spoon you can find. I'm afraid it won't be big enough, and I expect this beggar has got the swivels. I say, though, this is something like fis.h.i.+ng. When we get back I'll rig up some tackle with the lead-line. Let the boat go again."

The sail was allowed to fill, the boat careened over and began to glide away again before the wind, when suddenly the line tightened once more, and the mate yelled to the steersman and the sailor holding the sheet.

"Ease her!" he roared; "the beggar only turned and came towards the boat. I've got him still, and he's as lively as ever."

There was silence then, and for the next few minutes the battle went on, the fish or reptile towing the boat this way and that way in some of its fierce rushes.

In spite of the hard work Lynton manfully refused to surrender the line, but let it run or hauled it in according to the necessities of the moment, till there was a cheer, started by Brace, for the captive's strength was plainly failing, and at the end of another five minutes it ceased its struggles, and yielded sullenly to the steady drag.

Lynton pulled the line slowly in, whilst all the others watched with eager expectation for the first appearance of his captive.

"It must be a monster," said Brace hoa.r.s.ely. "Be careful now, Lynton.

It would be horrible if the line were to break, and we were to lose him after all our efforts."

"Monster? I believe he's as long as the boat; but he's pumped out now.

I say, the water must be tremendously deep here. He must have dived right down to the bottom. It's a 'gator: there's no doubt about that."

"We shall soon see," replied Briscoe, who stood ready with the gaff-hook. "I shall have to trust to this."

"Yes. Drive it right into his throat, and haul him in over the side at once."

"Right. I say: he's coming now. See him?" said Briscoe eagerly.

"Quite plainly," said Brace. "The water's beautifully clear, but it's running so fast that everything below seems to be all of a quiver and it is not possible to make out the shape of anything."

"Haul slowly and steadily," said Briscoe. "I wish this thing had a stronger handle."

"It would only break if it had, with such a big fish," said Lynton, as he kept on hauling and letting the heavily-strained line fall between his legs. "Do you see him now?"

"Yes, quite plainly."

"'Gator, isn't it?"

"No: a long, thin fish."

"Not a snake?"

"No, no: a fish. It looks five feet long at the least."

"Must be ten," panted Lynton, with a groan, as he continued hauling on the line. "It feels as heavy as so much lead."

"Now then, be careful," cried Brace, c.o.c.king his double gun.

"No, no: don't shoot," cried Lynton, as he slowly hauled.