FISHING 97 



some very good fun with handlines over the 

 side of the yacht, and a good mixed catch 

 of flounders, codlings, and small " haddies," 

 whilst I added a hermit crab to my lot. He 

 was in a shell about four inches long. We 

 kept him as a curiosity for a few hours down 

 in the saloon ; his expression when put into a 

 basin of salt water after a couple of hours on 

 the terra firma of the shelf that ran round the 

 walls was extremely quaint and interesting. 

 The poor thing was evidently very thirsty, 

 and opened and shut his mouth to lap up the 

 water with great gusto. He was exactly 

 like a very old, cross Humpty Dumpty. 

 Thinking it cruel to keep him, we returned 

 him to his sea home. What tales he must 

 have told the mermaids and fishes of his 

 strange adventures among the mortals. 



Gairloch treated us more civilly than 

 Poolewe, and on a beautiful afternoon we 

 went far out into the Bay in the electric 

 launch. The skipper, two of ourselves (the 

 yacting party was two men and two women), 

 our two maids who had become keen and 

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