To Have And Have Not

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT

old see the curve in the line and the next time
iiped he was astern and headed out to sea.
!he came out again and smashed the water
/ and I could see he was hooked in the side of
The stripes showed clear on him. He
was a fine fish, bright silver now, barred with purple,
and as big around as a log.
'He's gone/ Johnson said. The line was slack,
'Reel on him,5 I said. 'He's hooked good. Put
her ahead with all the machine!' I yelled to the

r' Then once, twice, he came out stiff as a post, the
whole length of him jumping straight toward us,
throwing the water high each time he landed* The
line came taut and I saw he was headed inshore
again and I could see he was turning.
'Now he'll make his run,' I said. *If he hooks up
1*11 chase him. Keep your drag light. There's
plenty of line/
The old marlin headed out to the nor'west like
all the big ones go, and brother, did he hook up!
He started jumping in those long lopes and every
splash would be like a speed boat in a sea. We went
after him, keeping him on the quarter once Fd
made the turn. I had the wheel and I kept yelling
to Johnson to keep his drag light and reel fast. All
of a sudden I see his rod jerk and the line go slack.
It wouldn't look slack unless you knew about it
because of the pull of the belly of the line in the
water. But I knew.