“After being wearied with its agitations and attempts to escape, as well as exhausted by its wound, the fish is seized, and drawn into the boat. The operation has considerable resemblance to the whale fishery on a small scale. The superstitious Sicilian fishermen have an unintelligible chant, which they regard as a most essential part of their apparatus, Brydone thinks it is Greek: but be that as it may, the fishermen are convinced of its efficacy as a charm, its operation being to attract and detain the fish near the boat. There are certainly some Italian words in it, although it is said that the men believe that the fish would dive into the water and be seen no more if it happened to hear a word of Italian.”
[Swordfish, The Historical and Scientific American Miscellany, Vol.1-2, Sears, 1861]