HALIEUTICA, III. 307-330 



brows and shoulders and the sinews of his neck and 

 ankles swell " with might and strain with valour ; 

 while the fish, chafing with pain, makes a fight, 

 pulling against the pulling fisher, striving to dive 

 into the sea, raging incontinently. Then the fisher 

 bids his comrades plunge in their oars ; and as the 

 ship speeds forward, he on the stem is dragged 

 bodily backward by the rush of the fish, and the 

 line whistles, and the blood drips from his torn hand. 

 But he relaxes not the grievous contest. As two 

 keen men of mighty valour stretch their grasp ** 

 about one another and endeavour each to puU the 

 other, hauling with backward strain ; and long time 

 both, enduring equal measure of toil, puU might and 

 main and are pulled ; even so between those, the 

 fisher and the fish, strife arises, the one eager to 

 rush away, the other eager to puU him in. Nor do 

 the other Anthias fishes desert the captive in his 

 agony but are fain to help him ^ and \iolently hurl 

 their backs against him and fall each one upon him, 

 foolishlv, and know not that they are afflicting their 

 comrade. Often also when they are fain to tear 

 through the Hne with their jaws, they are helpless, 

 since their mouth is unarmed.** At last when the 

 fish is weary with labour and pain and the quick 

 rowing, the man overpowers him and pulls him in. 



l^6fi.€v(n T(^ 'Aj'pipa «rai p</.Siu}s axoKvofifyot avrov rdj rpd^eis, 

 CxTTtp ififiara /toi \a.^ai ov/t^i Toif omtov exovffas risvov. 



' Ael. i. 4 Toinwv [tQiv ivdiCjy) yovv exaffroi, orav vo^ffwai 

 redripdadai rbv avvvofxav, xpo<r»iov<siv SiKiara. ' eZra i% qxttov to. 

 fwra ciTrepdSovaiv koI e/xirixTO»^ej Vat lidovfieyot rg Swafiu 

 KusKvoiHTiw fKKeffOcu ; Plut. Mor. 977 c ot 5' avBiai ti^ avfi4>v\<p 

 Po7]0ov<nw irafidrrfpoy ' ttjv yap bpfuav avaOefitPoi Kara, ttjv 

 pdxi' Kcd (TTTjffovres opdr^v t7\v 6.Ka.vdav irixfipovai Siaxpifiy -rg 

 Tpaxi'TTtTi Kai diaKOTTtiy. 



** i.e., toothless. 



373 



