102 A DAY'S GROUND-FISHING. 



The connection between Billingsgate and Budleigh Salter- 

 ton taking Billingsgate in its ordinary sense cannot be very 

 evident, seeing that the distance of near 200 miles intervenes 

 between the two localities. I must therefore explain that the 

 word is here used to denote a certain fishing-ground about two 

 and a half miles off this little Devonshire watering-place, and 

 although it cannot, as a matter of course, afford' the variety 

 attainable at the great metropolitan emporium, it yet offers to 

 the fisherman considerable sport in hand-line ground-fishing, 

 of which we had availed ourselves on an occasion not many 

 days previous. 



' What do you think of the weather ? ' 



' A breeze, probably, but nothing to hurt, for I think the 

 wind will be off the land again in the evening, although it will 

 certainly not be as smooth as on our last visit to Billingsgate, 

 when the sea was as little agitated as an unruffled lake.' 



'What does Rogers say ? ' Rogers was the boatman, and, 

 on being interrogated, took the same view of the weather as 

 myself, observing, however, that we must pull out, for the wind 

 was dead on end, and the sail ' would not be a ha'porth of good ' 

 until returning, when we should probably make our passage in 

 a third of the time if the wind remained in the same quarter ; 

 ' but there's no hurry,' he observed, 'for if we get out just at the 

 slackening away of the ebb we shall have three or four hours 

 there, and that will be quite enough time to make a catch of 

 fish, if there's any upon the ground.' 



' How are we off for bait ? ' 



' There's a peck of Mushels (Mussels), sir, and I've brought 

 a dozen o' Pilchards out of a small lot we caught this morning 

 in the little seine, so that we can try for a Conger as well, since 

 you lost one when you were last upon the ground.' This 

 occurred through the shortness of the ganging or hook link, 

 beyond which, as the Conger had swallowed the hook, it 

 gnawed off the line with little difficulty. 



On this former occasion it had not been our intention to 

 try for a Conger, and accordingly we had not provided ourselves 

 with hooks specially fitted for the purpose ; but on the present 

 trip we were determined to have something proof against the 



