SALMON-NETTING AT CHRISTCHURCH 43 



waters pour into the sea the net-fishing goes on without 

 ceasing from the beginning of the ebb till the turn of 

 the tide. The order of fishing is settled by agreement, 

 and each boat in turn is rowed out into the stream 

 carrying the far-end of the net, while the other is held 

 upon the shore by a partner, who walks opposite as 

 boat and net are swung down by the stream. Before 

 the mouth is reached the boat completes its circle, and 

 comes to shore, where both ends of the net are made 

 fast, and the long line of corks swing with the tide till 

 they lie in a deep narrow loop, parallel with the wet 

 sand of the bank. Then comes the hauling of the net. 

 Both men pull the wet mass rapidly in hand-over-hand, 

 pausing now and again to fling out masses of sea-weed, 

 until the last twenty yards of the net are reached. If 

 the bosom cork is ducking under, if the gently bellying 

 folds of the long-meshed trough are in a tumult, there 

 is one salmon or more in the net, enough to repay the 

 fishers for a score of fruitless casts. But in nineteen 

 cases out of twenty nothing disturbs the even sinus of 

 the floating line, and the meshes float on like clouds in 

 the translucent waters, carrying with them only light 

 and feathery masses of pink and crimson kelp. The 

 words " we have toiled all night and have taken 

 nothing " come home with a ring of human effort 

 unrewarded, as net after net is hauled only to be found 

 empty. But the Christchurch fishermen are not a 

 complaining race. No sooner has one net swung at 

 the bottom of the river than another has started at the 

 top and is waltzing down with the stream. The fun 



