56 NATIVES SPEARING THE SEER FISH. 



paddle out in search of the fish and on finding a shoal give 

 chase ; the man at the bow, besides his paddle, has a long 

 three pronged bamboo spear, like an eel spear, and wears 

 a large shade over his eyes to assist him in seeing into the 

 depths below. The pace they go and the turns and doubles 

 they make is very exciting, and the excitement increases 

 when the man at the bow stands up and with the spear 

 balancing above his head prepares to strike — now he is going 

 to throw ! No ! he calmly puts the spear down and paddles 

 with all his might at one time passing close to you, then 

 dashing off far away, suddenly doubling back again — now he 

 is up once more, and the spear quivers in his hand. Now ! 

 Now ! No, he calmly lays down the spear again and is pad- 

 dling away as hard as ever. This sometimes is repeated over 

 and over again and my patience has been sorely tried when 

 looking on, the calm unexcited bearing of the spearman making 

 it still more provoking. At last the spear is thrown and with 

 such unerring aim that I have never to my recollection seen 

 a failure. The spear is heavily weighted at the base so that 

 it throws up the fish, and being made fast to the boat by a 

 line is easily hauled in. I have seen fish of between 20 

 and 30 lbs. captured in this way. It is also interesting to 

 watch the ospreys or fishing eagles, of which there were 

 numbers, soaring high above and dropping like a bullet into 

 the sea, rising again with a good sized fish in their talons. 



I became very tired of the life at Singapore ; the 

 monotonous climate, a kind of perpetual hot house summer, 

 and the lack of sport, made me apply for three months' leave 

 to Java, and great was my joy on obtaining it. It was on the 

 10th May, 1848 that I embarked on board the Dutch steamer 

 for Batavia. Soon after my arrival I found that sport must 



