The tarpon lay inert, a beautiful silver-scaled creature that looked as if he had just come from a bath of melted opals. The great dark eyes were fixed and staring, the tail moved feebly, the long dorsal fin quivered. He measured five feet six inches in length, which was one inch more than Hal’s height. “Ken, the boys back home will never believe I caught him,” said Hal, in distress. “Take his picture to prove it,” replied Ken. Hal photographed his catch. Pepe took out the hook, showing, as he did so, the great iron-like plates in the mouth of the fish. “No wonder it’s hard to hook them,” said Ken. Hal certainly wanted his beautiful fish to go back, free and little hurt, to the river. But also he wanted him for a specimen. Hal deliberated. Evidently he was considering the labor of skinning such a huge fish and the difficulty of preserving and packing the hide. “Say, Hal, wouldn’t you like to see me hook one?” queried Ken, patiently. That brought Hal to his senses. “Sure, Ken, old man, I want you to catch one--a big one--bigger than mine,” replied Hal, and restored the fish to the water. They all watched the liberated tarpon swim wearily off and slip down under the water. “He’ll have something to tell the rest, won’t he?” said George. In a few minutes the boat was again in the center of the great pool among the rolling tarpon. Ken had a strike immediately. He missed. Then he tried again. And in a short space of time he saw five tarpon in the air, one after the other, and not one did he hook securely. He got six leaps out of one, however, and that was almost as good as landing him. “There ’re some whales here,” said George. “Grande savalo,” added Pepe, and he rowed over to where a huge fish was rolling. “Oh, I don’t want to hook the biggest one first,” protested Ken. Pepe rowed to and fro. The boys were busy trying to see the rolling tarpon. There would be a souse on one side, then a splash on the other, then a thump behind. What with trying to locate all these fish and still keep an eye on Ken’s line the boys almost dislocated their necks. Then, quick as a flash, Ken had a strike that pulled him out of his seat to his knees. He could not jerk. His line was like a wire. It began to rise. With all his strength he held on. The water broke in a hollow, slow roar, and a huge humpbacked tarpon seemed to be climbing into the air. But he did not get all the way out, and he plunged back with a thunderous crash. He made as much noise as if a horse had fallen off a bridge. The handle of the reel slipped out of Ken’s grasp, and it was well. The tarpon made a long, wonderful run and showed on the surface a hundred yards from the boat. He was irresistibly powerful. Ken was astounded and thrilled at his strength and speed. There, far away from the boat, the tarpon leaped magnificently, clearing the water, and then went down. He did not come up again.