BASS AND MULLET 207 



flick, and " In him ! " cries Gomm, whose cane rod 

 is bending madly to right and left, as a fat mullet, 

 evidently a good fish, tries in vain to plunge 

 towards the piles. The other lines are brought in, 

 so that the landing net may have a fair field, and 

 in a very few minutes a splendid mullet of 4 Ibs. 

 14 ozs. is kicking in the linen bag provided for 

 its reception. An hour later the rod on my left 

 is behaving likewise, and a second fish, half the 

 weight of the first, is added to the inside of the 

 bag. The rod straight before me refuses to bend. 

 Several times I think I see a bite betrayed by the 

 green-and-white tell-tale, but it is long since I 

 did much float-fishing, and my striking is ill-timed. 

 And now, after two hours of it, the tide first falls 

 slack for a little and then preceptibly drains 

 towards, instead of away from, the boat. Properly 

 speaking, we ought to change over and fish the 

 up tide facing west, but it is windy in that quarter 

 and, anxious to get the benefit of lee water as long 

 as possible, we continue fishing, without further 

 result until it runs too strongly to be fishable that 

 way. The new position is then occupied ; the 

 remainder of the groundbait is thrown overboard ; 

 and no more fish are caught at all, though I just 

 manage to turn one, striking a fraction of a second 

 late, and feel the weight of him on my rod. So 

 far, I stood with the mullet as before, though I 

 had at any rate seen a couple caught in the same 



