SCHNAPPER AND BLACK BREAM 157 



Long had I treasured the details furnished by 

 a sporting correspondent of the Field, a naval 

 officer, of stupendous fishing in the Indian Ocean 

 and Red Sea when under way. Albicore, bonito 

 and other splendid surface-swimming fishes had 

 been taken by this method, and, as we were bound 

 for those hallowed waterways, in a vessel more- 

 over which did nothing to emulate the expedition 

 of a mail-boat, I resolved to try my luck. The 

 dobash of the B. I. Company at Batavia procured 

 for me an immense bamboo pole, the which, with 

 the sanction of the skipper and by the help of a 

 well-bribed quarter-master, was rigged up in the 

 correct fashion, so that it projected, seemingly 

 for about a quarter of a mile, from the starboard 

 side, a gigantic fishing-rod indeed. A brand new 

 line, a treble hook dressed with bunting to imitate 

 a flying fish it might just as well have been a 

 drowned immature hippogriff and a small bell 

 completed this amazing outfit. The eight knots, 

 which had sufficed our unambitious old tramp 

 via the Queensland ports and Barrier Reef, were, 

 on leaving Tanjong Priak, increased to nine, 

 probably rather too fast for success ; but the 

 skipper, though not hostile to the idea of fresh 

 fish in the saloon, declined any further concession. 

 We could fish at nine knots, or "do the other 

 thing," whatever that was. The autocrats put 

 in charge of cargo-boats " fitted to carry a few 



