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Like the tuna, the bluefish, the bonito, and the squiteague, they pursue and prey upon the schools of menhaden and mackerel, which are so abundant in the summer months. "When you see swordfish, you may know that mackerel are about," said an old fisherman to me. "When you see the fin-back whale following food, there you may find swordfish," said another.
It might be said, for instance, that if a piece of gold is sold as eighteen-carat gold, and it is in fact not so pure, or if a cow is sold as yielding an average of twelve quarts of milk a day, and in fact she yields only six quarts, there is no logical difference, according to the explanation which has just been offered, between those cases and that of the barrel of salt sold for mackerel.
Working ten days for a pound of pork was rather low wages, but most of us were glad to get such an opportunity to get out. If we could pick up as much as the staves of a flour barrel we could sell it for ten or fifteen cents inside of prison, and a little money went a long way. Mackerel sold at five cents per pound, and a pound and a half loaf of bread for ten cents.
"Are we well protected against sharks, Mr. Swift?" demanded the adventurer. "Are these sea monsters likely to break, the glass and get in at us?" "Indeed not!" laughed Tom. "There is absolutely no danger from these fish they aren't sharks, either." "Not sharks?" cried Mr. Hardley. "What are they, then?" "Horse mackerel," Tom answered. "At least that is the common name for the big fish.
"Yes," said Dexter, whose eager young mind rapidly painted an illustration to everything his companion described. "A man I know has been to sea, and he says sometimes you come to places where there's nothing but mackerel, and you can almost ladle 'em out with your hands. I should boil 'em over a fire. They are good then." Dexter's eyes grew more round.
Is this mutiny aboard me?" He was mounting to the bridge. "They got the Dutchman," repeated Harris. "They done for him he's dead as a red mackerel!" "It's mutiny, Mr. Harris," said the captain. "Ye know cussed well what it is," shouted Harris, as loudly as though Captain Riggs were still below.
His face was deeply browned by the gulf breezes and was attractive rather than handsome, while his eyes, as blue and clear as the gulf waters, were peculiarly honest and frank. Two wiry, dark-faced French-Canadian boys were perched on one of the boats, watching the fishing fleet with lazy interest in their inky-black eyes, and wondering if the "Yanks" had seined many mackerel that day.
They are also well stocked with horses, cows, asses, mules, sheep, goats, hogs, conies, and plenty of deer. The Lancerota horses are said to be the most mettlesome, fleet, and loyal horses that are. Lastly here are many fowls, as cocks, and hens, ducks, pigeons, partridges, etc. with plenty of fish, as mackerel, etc.
All down the shore were pavilions and bath-houses, and the scene at a distance was not unlike that when the water is occupied by schools of leaping mackerel. An excursion steamer from New York landed at the pier.
He did, however, bring back a curious tale that added to the superstitious sea lore of those times, for two of his sailors one morning when looking over the side of the vessel beheld what they declared was a mermaid with a white skin and a tail like a mackerel, long, black hair, and a back and breast like a woman's.
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