SCAB .RACK
A Renegade Swordfish that lived
to avenge an ol.d wron_g
A REVIEW SPECIAL "OUTSIDE THE IN DUSTRY" FEATURE
By J. Charles Davis II
Author's Note: This story was told to me ••
being a true account of the life and battle• of
Many were the stories of his strength and
plenty fishermen have come off second best
abso lute truth of all herein, but, from a knowl-
in fights with that one. That was how he
edge gained in many years of study of the,e
got ,his name. A fisherman had harpooned
fish, I wiU say that it could have happened.
him and fought him many hours when the
I believe that the history of Scarbaok Is a
harpoon tore out leaving a great, jagged
composite picture of the Swordfish family and
as such of so111e interest to all who love the •ea • scar on his back. Every year we saw him as
and its mysteries.
he came up the coast from Guadalupe but
We were moving slowly along off the
no one ever caught him. I think, mebby so,
coast of Lower California which is in Mex-
many were afraid of Scarback. It is very
ico and just below the International Line.
we!} for you to smile .. . but wait.
Jose Rodriguez was at the tiller of the
"I got ' a.'good look at the fish. Truly he
little boat, making a tour of his lobster.
was a mons!er and would weigh better than
traps, and I was along for the ride. We
a thousand pounds and at the market price
were not fishing, it being pretty early in the
of swordfish in those days he would make
season, but the sun was warm and pleasant·
us much money. He swim slowly alonu,
an ideal day to loaf and dream. Jose had
afraid of nothing, that one, and I climb;d
done fairly well so far and several sacks of
up to the lookout where I could look down
lobsters lay in the hold. He contentedly
smoked one cigarette after another and we and see him well.
"Oh, but he was big, that one. Broad
talked, as fishermen will, of this and that.
across the back; thick and powerful. Built
Out beyond us the islands of Todos Santos
for speed and power like a destroyer, with
lay green in the sun; behind us the beau-
a long wicked sword sticking out of his
tiful bay of Ensenada. Overhead gulls cir-
cled expectantly, and here and there a peli- head and two big ugly eyes which gleamed
up at me with as mean a look as I ever saw.
can dived into a school of bait.
"Right then I make up my mind I would
Some distance away a sickle fin cut the
take that fish. The engine she was almost
su~face ~nd moved majestically along. I
fixed so I yell at Manuel to get the line
pomted 1t out to Jose who swore softly in
coiled and go out on the pulpit with the
Spanish. "Espada", he grunted which
spear an' I work like mad on that engine.
means "Swordfish", and is used by ~he Mex-
Pretty soon she cough a couple times, then
ican to designate the only true Swordfish,
work. swell so I go up an' take the wheel.
the Broadbill. The Marlin is not a Sword-
"Out ahead I see the big fin weaving
fish at all, but a Spearfish, and belongs to
along as unconcerned as you please. That
an altogether different family. Jose shoved
fish he know his power and not afraid which
the tiller a bit more to port and away from
is more than I can say for poor Manuel.
the monarch of the deep. I grinned for I
Mebby Manuel know something for he no
knew the respect the market fishermen had
want to tackle that fish, but I cuss heem
for these gladiators. As a matter of fact it
out for being afraid an' tell heem to come
is not so many years since the boat op~ra-
an' take the wheel an' I will stick Scarback.
tors of our own Catalina ran away from
I was not afraid; you see I was very brave
these fish, which are now eagerly sought by
. .. an' big damn fool.
anglers the world over.
"Manuel he just look at me kinda funny
"What's the matter, Jose? Don't you like
an' tell me go ahead an' do a good job of
the Broadbill ?"
handling the boat an' he stick heem all
Jose spat overside and indulged in further
right. But somehow I don't like that look
picturesque profanity.
in Manuel's eyes. Well, Senor, I put the
"Senor, if you had ever met Scarback
Esmeralda right over that fish as pretty as
you too, would not like the fish you call
you please. You know there is a trick in
the Broadbill. You like maybe I tell you
harpooning Swordfish. You must come up
about heem ... no?"
behind them just so: the shadow of a mast
Without waiting for my assent he launch-
or oul pit cannot fall where he will see it
ed into the story, which I give you in as
or he will be away like a flash. The eyes
nearly his own words as possible.
of the swordfish are funny, he cannot 6ee
"About ten years ago it was. We were
behind or very far to one side but mostlv
fishing for the market. In those days I had
.i ust ahead. Mebby yon notice when you fish
a spear boat. What you call the harpoon
for heem and drag a bait in front of heem.
boat. We made a good enough living with
That is hard to dn, no? He keens turning
the turtles, plenty of Tiburon (sharks) and
his big head so all the time so he can see
now and then an Espada. It was a hard
yonr boat.
life and plenty dangerous, but I was
"Well, I slide right up behind heem
younger then ...
pretty as you could ask. The Esmeralda
"We were off those very islands," he ges-
ticulated towards Todos Santos, "and had
she was a good boat and handle nice. The
done pretty well when the engine on the
engine she no make much noise so everv-
thing is, how yon say it, Okey Doke? We
Esmeralda (she was my boat) break down .
get right over that fish and Manuel cross
I am down below fixing heem up when
Manuel, who fish with me, yell for me to
heemself ouick like, then he throw that
come on deck. There was a great fish swim-
spear and he sock that fish perfectementia :
ming by. 'Scarback !' he shouted, and you
in just thP- right spot, high on the shoulder
can be sure I rush on deck for who has not
and ahead of where that scar was.
heard of Scarback?
"WP.II, Senor, when he feel that harpoon.
all hell she break loose. He give one grand
"He was a swordfish and a mighty one.
a
mighty
Swordfish.
I cannot vouch
for
the
flirt of the tail dousing Manuel with the
water an' he dive for the bottom of the
ocean. The line, which is coiled in a tub
so it will run out free, she hiss through
the water like lightning and pretty soon
it come to the end an' over goes the barrel
we use to fight these fish. You see the fish
he go down an' down, an' all the time that
barrel which is full of air it bother heem
an' keep pulling an; pretty soon when he get
tired he come up an' the barrel she float an'
we find heem again.
"That barrel she come up an' she go
down. I think, Por Dias, that fish he never
get tired but bymeby the barrel she stay
up longer an' longer an' we put over the
skiff an' Manuel he take the oars an' row
over an' pick up the barrel an' begin to
haul on the rope. That make Scarback
plenty mad an' away he go like shot out of
gun but Manuel he was good swordfisher-
man an' he had made the line fast to the
skiff so he could hold the fish but let go if
the boat get in too much trouble.
"I wish, Senor, that you have see that
fight. Scarback he rush throu!(h the water
dragging Manuel an' the skiff like a kid
pull a kite. The skiff she throw spray in
beeg wave either side an' Manuel he stand
there in the bow holding the rope an' he
make gran' sight. I am sorry then for what
I say about he being afraid. Manuel he
have plenty of, how you say it, guts?
"This go on for hours an' it begin to look
like that fish she never die. Manuel he haul
in line an' the fish she take heem out again.
I wonder how even Manuel can stand that
punishment but pretty soon the fish she
begin to tire an' Manuel can keep the line
he has an' even get a little more now an'
then, so I see it is time to put the Esmeralda
close by to help in the kill.
"Generally the swordfish she die fighting
the rope an' when you drag heem up there
is no trouble for the swordfish have the
great heart an' never quit but sometimes
right at this time there is trouble an' you
better be on the lookout if you want to come
back with the whole skin.
"Well, Senor, this was one such a time.
I am just putting the bow of the Esmer-
alda close to the skiff when suddenly the
line go slack and Manuel, who had been
pulling hard like everything, fall over back-
ward into the skiff. I swear I can tell you
for I think the spear she had pull out of
the fish. I wish that was so.
"Then before I can do a thing, that devil
come up under the skiff and ram his sword
right through the bottom. I could see the
sword sticking out clear above the gun-
wale .• ! never knew but I think the sword
must have got Manuel too for I hear heem
scream "Madre de Dios" then there is a
terrible sound of breaking wood, a great
splashing, an' the skiff she is all floating
around in little pieces an' the water is all
red with blood, Manuel's blood, an' there
is no skiff, no Manuel, no fish, no nothing.
"I am leaning over the side trying to see
if mebbe I can not find Manuel and drag
heem aboard; mebby he is not dead but
just hurt an' mebby if he is dead I ca~ get
the body an' take it back so the good Padres
can bury heem in Holy ground, but I can
see noth ing. Then from down deep I see
heem coming, an', Senor, my hair she stand
straight up on my head, I can tell you. I
was afraid an' I am not ashamed to say so.
Only ashamed that I say Manuel he afraid.
"That Scarback is coming right at the
Esmeralda like a torpedo from one of your
big warships. He has got away from that
harpoon some way; perhaps when he kill
Manuel an' smash the skiff, for there is no
rope dragging but only a stream of blood
behind heem where the spear she pull out.
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