NATURE AND SPORT IN BRITAIN 



captured prawns, but on the whole I have come to the 

 conclusion that a small fishmonger's flag basket, slung 

 over the shoulder by a piece of cord, is the handier for 

 this style of fishing. A long, light, slimmish pole — 

 preferably of the cheap bamboo procurable at any iron- 

 monger's or furnishing place — is the best implement for 

 hoisting out the nets. Such a pole, nine feet or ten 

 feet in length, furnished at the top with a big hook, 

 firmly bound on with copper wire, can be procured for 

 as little as from 6d. to <^d. The gin-net is the most 

 extravagant part of the outfit. This costs from 4^. 6d. 

 to 6s. Gins, however, can be usually hired from fisher- 

 men or coastguards at from 3^. to 6d. apiece per day. 



Between us and our fishing-place rises a huge mass 

 of down — six hundred feet in height — the surmounting 

 of which on a warm summer's morning, early even 

 as we are, forms the hardest part of our day's exertions. 

 We dismount and steadily face the long half-mile of 

 collar work. This is at length achieved, and, the sum- 

 mit once gained, the rest of the journey is, on cycles, 

 a mere pleasant downhill flitting of twenty minutes. 

 Hot as we are with our exertions, the fresh breeze that 

 greets us on the summit of the down is wonderfully 

 refreshing, while the view alone well repays the toil. 

 On the left stretches the blue sea, its far-off margin 

 shrouded in a delicate summer haze. Some miles away 

 on our front lies Seaford, beyond that Newhaven pier 

 and harbour, backed by one of those bold cliffs of 

 dazzling white which impressed so much the minds 

 of Caesar and his legionaries. Away to our right 

 stretches league upon league of rolling downland. 



The run downhill to the pleasant little village of East 

 Dean is soon accomplished, and now turning left- 

 handed we sweep through a broad open valley of the 

 downs to Birling Gap. In this valley was gained one 



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