BOOK IX. IX. 30-x. 33 



south, against the sound, it carries it more slowly; 

 but then too they suddenly hasten to the spot, in 

 order to give thcir aid. Their line of battle comes 

 into view, and at once deploys in the place where 

 they are to join battle ; they bar the passage on the 

 side of the sea and drive the scared mullet into the 

 shallows. Then the fishermen put their nets round 

 them and lift them out of the water with forks. 

 None the less the pace of some muUets leaps 

 over the obstacles ; but these are caught by the 

 dolphins, which are satisfied for the time being with 

 merely having killed them, postponing a meal till 

 victory is won. The action is hotly contested, and 

 the dolphins pressing on with the greatest bravery are 

 dehghted to be caught in the nets, and for fear that 

 this itself may hasten the enemy's flight, they ghde 

 out between the boats and the nets or the swimming 

 fishermen so gradually as not to open ways of escape ; 

 none of them try to get away by leaping out of 

 the water, which otherwise they are very fond of 

 doing, unless the nets are put below them. One that 

 gets out thereupon carries on the battle in front 

 of the rampart. When in this way the catch has 

 been completed they tear in pieces the fish that 

 they have killed. But as they are aware that they 

 have had too strenuous a task for only a single day's 

 pay they wait there till the following day, and are 

 given a feed of bread mash dipped in wine, in addition 

 to the fish. 



X. Mucianus's account of the same kind of fishing Othercases^ 

 in the lasian Gulf difFers in this — the dolphins stand InieiUgeMe. 

 by of their own accord and without being summoned 

 by a shout, and receive their share from the fisher- 

 men's hands, and each boat has one of the dolphins 



185 



