While the Dolphin season Continues they Catch a number of Flying Fish of an Extraordinary size which are in general so large as not to fear them; these they catch with Bait in this Manner — they get a Number of Wands of 6 or 8 feet long from which they strip the Bark and ballance by Slinging a stone to one end so as to swim upright with one half their length out of water, to the lower end they fix a hook (made offish bones & baited with Cocoa Nut) with about a Fathom of line; these being all prepared (they generally have as many as they Can Conveniently Stow in the Stern of the Canoe) they stand off to their proper distance and throw the Wands over board at a distance from each other, and Standing in they pick them up again when they frequently find Fish at each, so that if they have no luck of Dolphin they seldom return empty as they often take Sharks & other fish on which the Shark preys, who, flying to the Canoe for Shelter, are often taken by hand, and the Shark they often Catch in a Noose prepared for that purpose, seldom having occasion to bait a hook for them. When they get the Shark fast they haul his head out of water and beat it till they see no signs of life in it with heavy toa Bludgeons which they Carry for the Purpose and when he is dead they get him into the Canoe. They frequently meet with the Swordfish while they are out who never fails to Attack the Canoe and if the Bottom or side is Not of very hard Wood, he Strikes the Sword into her in several places before it sticks fast enough to hold him, but as soon as he sticks they are overboard and secure him with the Noose, and having

Indigenous Histories