CHAP. xiii. My Methods Tested. 195 



that he would not have tried except to please me. In the rains the 

 Rohu bite boldly, and for bold biting his float was not too coarse, nor 

 his distance too great, the striking not needing to be so prompt. But 

 biting as the Labeo were in April, and always would be at that time of 

 year, he, not seeing his bites, clung to it that they were only the bites 

 of small fish. No mortal could have seen those subtle bites at the 

 distance out to which he cast his float even if he had been using my 

 more sensitive " detective," much less with his coarser float. With my 

 little " detective " float close under my rod tip the bites were clear 

 enough, and I struck when the sharp little jigs followed each other in 

 rapid succession, and the fish taken ran up to 15 Ibs. and 20 Ibs. each, 

 whereas his biggest was 2 Ibs. He was a typical instance of the Rohu 

 fisherman who having caught Rohu freely when they were biting boldly, 

 thinks that is the only way and time to take them, and that there is 

 nothing more to learn. He is not a whit different from Mr. Dunsford's 

 many scoffers, and while instancing him as a type in detail, solely for 

 the purpose of convincing argument, I trust I have concealed his 

 kindly identity among the vast crowd of such anglers ruined by too 

 easy successes. In this kind of fishing too easy successes are the ruin 

 of many a good man. 



My argument then is that my methods are suitable both for bold 

 biting and shy biting, and extend the period of good fishing over many 

 a day and month when it must otherwise be blank or poor indeed. 



Hoping that I have herein convinced both the inappreciative and 

 the scoffer, I will proceed to my fish, first giving just one little tiny true 

 tale for the better content of the inappreciative of the size of the fish 

 offered for their sport. 



A writer in the Asian of the i5th of May, 1888, F. G. G. O. by 

 name, tells a tale, headed " A True Story," which is too spicy to be 

 lost. Fishing with a paste bait, he eventually landed, hooked in the 

 lip, a Catla which scaled 77 Ibs. But in the course of the pky an 

 erudite English-speaking native brother of the angle, counselled him 

 in this wise : " Do not as yet endeavour to coerce him, he is of great 

 strength, and you should wait until his powers are somewhat diminished. 

 Ah ! sir, do not as yet anticipate, his force is not yet evacuated, and he 

 will still afford you much trouble." Many natives are excellent fisher- 

 men, much devoted to the sport, and with something to teach us, as 

 we shall see anon. 



o 2 



