HALIEUTICA, V. 130-161 



does not announce so great a weight : for feebler 

 beasts travel a more buoyant path. For these 

 monsters the Une is fashioned of many strands of 

 well-woven cord, as thick as the forestay of a ship, 

 neither very large nor very small, and in length 

 suitable to the prey. The well- wrought hook is 

 rough and sharp with barbs projecting alternately 

 on either side, strong enough to take a rock and 

 pierce a cliff and with deadly curve as great as the 

 gape of the beast can cover. A coiled chain is cast 

 about the butt of the dark hook — a stout chain of 

 beaten bronze to ^vithstand the deadly \iolence of 

 his teeth and the spears of his mouth. In the midst 

 of the chain are set round wheels close together, to 

 stay his wild struggles and prevent him from straight- 

 way breaking the iron in his bloody agony, as he 

 tosses in deadly pain, but let him roll and wheel in 

 his fitful course. For fatal banquet they put upon 

 the hook a portion of the black liver of a bull or a 

 bull's shoulder suited to the jaws of the banqueter. 

 To accompany the hunters, as it were for war, are 

 sharpened many strong harpoons " and stout tridents 

 and bills and axes of heavy blade and other such 

 weapons as are forged upon the noisy an\il. Swiftly 

 they go on board their well-benched ships, silently 

 nodding to one another as need may be, and set 

 forth. With quiet oars they gently make white the 

 sea, carefully avoiding any noise, lest the great 

 Whale remark aught and dive into the depths for 

 refuge, and the task of the fishers be undertaken in 

 vain. But when they draw nigh to him and close 

 with their task, then boldly from the prow they 



" See Ael. i. 18 (quoted on 416 infra). 



471 



