OUR SUCCESS IN FISHING 505 



play of the one caught in the morning. Ommaney had bad 

 luck, losing several fish ; he secured only one with a spoon, 

 2\ Ibs.; and with the fly thirteen small fish, weighing altogether 

 9 Ibs. General Blake got two, 4 and 4^ Ibs. each, but his 

 sport was spoiled by gar-fish ; they take a spoon and offer no 

 resistance, so the fisherman goes on unconscious of what is at 

 the end of his line. No other fish will take the gar-fish as a 

 bait ; so unless a line is frequently examined, much time is 

 uselessly expended. 



November 2. To-day I again had all the luck and caught the 

 following 4, i J, 35, 5J, 3^ Ibs. The large fish I caught below 

 the weir, very near where I killed the 4O-pounder. I also lost 

 a fish about 8 Ibs. I had exhaused it, and hauled it up close 

 to the boat, and told the steersman to spear it; but he made a 

 bad shot, struck the hooks out of the fish's mouth, and in 

 rebounding one went into his thigh, and I had to cut it out. 

 Wilson of the Artillery, an old school-fellow of mine, and 

 Lightfoot of the 44th, joined us to-day. The former caught a 

 mahseer, g\ Ibs., with the spoon, and several small ones with 

 the fly. Lightfoot using a fly only caught about fifty small 

 fish. General Blake with the spoon caught one 18 Ibs., and a 

 lot with the fly. Ommaney had very bad luck and got only 

 a few small fish. 



November 3. We went out early, and fished with indifferent 

 luck. I hooked a lot of fish, but they all got off, the hooks 

 either breaking or straightening. I was on to a very large fish 

 for over an hour, but at the last moment the hooks gave, and he 

 got off. I only landed one 6J Ibs Wilson one 2 Ibs. Neither 

 the General nor Ommaney got anything. In the afternoon we 

 moved camp to Joplong en route to Jynteeapore ; we walked 

 the distance about four miles. There was only a small 

 stream, in which, in bathing, we came across the gna-booden, 

 a little fish that blows itself into a balloon if taken from the 

 water a little wretch that takes nips out of one. We had 

 known them in Burma and now made their acquaintance 

 again in Assam. We slept under some fine trees, where there 

 is a weekly hat or bazaar held. 



November 4. We had to walk about two miles to get to the 

 river leading to Jynteeapore ; the boats were frail dug-outs 



