1 60 The Carnatic Carp. CHAP. xi. 



treble hooks, one at the head and one at the tail, and a No. 5 double 

 swivel. You can cast it easily with a i6-ft. or i4-ft. rod,., as you 

 prefer, and if you have plenty of running line on you may yet take 

 heart of grace from the thought that many a goodly Mahseer has been 

 killed on occasion with no better weapon than a i4-ft. rod, though it 

 is not the right weapon, and must be in very good hands. 



Supposing that each angler has a boat and boatman to himself, and 

 that not more than two are fishing from the same camp, it is not well 

 to separate ; it is a pleasanter way to take the pools alternately. A. 

 commences on the first pool, be it large or small, the luck will right 

 itself before the morning is over, and fishes it down from head to tail. 

 B. meanwhile glides down stream in his boat to the next pool, without 

 even wetting his line in A.'s pool, though he sees a fish rise. When A. 

 has done his pool, he glides down till he overtakes B., and you ask 

 each other of the sport, as A. passes on to pool No. 3, and so you keep 

 passing and repassing each other, comparing notes, and encouraging 

 each other, while each has the satisfaction of knowing that he is fishing 

 fresh water all the time. 



The Indian coracle or basket-boat has no seat in it. It strains the 

 knee joint to sit like a native on the " hunkers," t.e. t on your own heels; 

 it is but poor relief to sit cross-legged, and it hurts the knee to kneel ; 

 standing is out of the question, so that the Indian coracle is, for 

 any length of time, a very uncomfortable vehicle, so uncomfortable 

 that it does away with half the pleasure of your sport, and prevents 

 your fishing as well as if you were comfortable. You cannot take 

 in a chair, because the legs would find their way through the leather 

 bottom of the boat, which would end in your eventually finding your 

 way to the bottom of the river. You can obviate all this, and 

 make yourself thoroughly comfortable for about 8 annas, say, is. 

 Get a bamboo basket, made much the shape of the ordinary basket, 

 that is the shape of the round half of an egg, only have it made 

 much stronger than is usual, strong enough to bear your weight, 

 whatever that may be, and have it made so deep that when turned 

 bottom upwards it will be exactly 14 inches high. On this bottom 

 you are to sit ; therefore cover it with stuffed leather. A cushion 

 would slip and trouble you at critical moments, therefore sew the 

 rough leather on to the basket, with a little stuffing under it. This 

 will bring it up to 15 inches, which is as high as you can safely have it. 



