DUR GHELLA AND ITS INHABITANTS 185 



(a series of lines fixed to a horizontal cord) . It was a long, 

 boring job. A hundred hooks — a hundred pieces of bait. 

 With that over we dropped the 'coffe' beyond the triple-net 

 (that is, on the other side of the reef) . By this time it would 

 be getting on for nine in the morning, depending upon our 

 humour, the sleep we had had and sea conditions. Finally 

 we took aboard Giorgio with his cameras and Priscilla with 

 the equipment and the food for the day and set the motor 

 going for the zone of operation. Tesfankièl suffered from 

 sea-sickness, so he stayed behind to stretch himself under the 

 shade of a tree and plunge into negro meditation. (When we 

 returned at night the supper was always ready) . Once under 

 way we let out the line with one of the victims of the morn- 

 ing's catch in the woof and usually, shortly after, we hooked 

 a white fish of around a couple of pounds. This in turn was 

 adopted as a further link in the ichthyological chain which 

 brought us to the catch of a shark or a big grouper. 



We were in the sea all day, hunting, collecting, exploring 

 and taking photographs. Then the moment would come for 

 us to chew the ship's biscuit with that accursed bit of tinned 

 meat on top, handed out by Priscilla. We went back in again 

 with the mouthful sticking in our throats. It was too hot in 

 the sun and the best way to rest was to float on the waves. 

 On our way back we pulled up the triple net and the 'coffe' 

 (or what was left of them) and at sunset, loaded down with 

 fish, coral and other animals that made the boat a stinking, 

 slithery but valuable vessel, we reached our beach. The 

 cargo was landed and we set about sorting the animals. The 

 most interesting fish went into formalin, the crustaceans and 

 the echinoderms into alcohol, and the coral to dry on the 

 beach. Priscilla took notes. Cecco appraised the fish and put 

 them in the chests and I carried out his orders as to throwing 

 back the unwanted, burying temporarily the shell fish that 



