132 A DAY WITH THE MACKEREL. 



which bobbers I had made fishing-rod fashion, of stout ash, in 

 four pieces (the top hickory), for convenience of stowage. 

 Twig, twig goes the line on the weather quarter twig, twig is 

 repeated by that on the lee, upon which I proceed to haul in 

 one of the twain, desiring old John to bear a hand with the 

 bobbers, as we were evidently getting well up with the body of 

 the fish. 



The reader will observe I hauled in only one of the 

 twain, keeping the other towing astern until I should hook a 

 successor, for the Mackerel, being eminently gregarious in its 

 habits, will generally follow a hooked leader, until all or nearly 

 all the shoal may be captured, provided the boat maintains an 

 uniform rate of speed, so that the lines may not sink suddenly 

 to a greater depth. 



An additional minute or two allowed old John to get the 

 bobbers in order, to which the lines were attached by the 

 bobber strings, which being made fast to the bight of the lines, 

 the reels were secured in-board, and the lines swung out clear 

 of the sides of the boat, hanging by the bobber strings from the 

 ends of the rods, which do not require removal to examine the 

 lines, as the ends being made fast in-board, they can be over- 

 hauled at pleasure without it. Old John soon accompanied 

 me in adding to the basket, and we continued for some minutes 

 hauling fish, sometimes on the weather, sometimes on the lee 

 lines, as fast as we were able to tend them in quick suc- 

 cession ; until a sudden cessation took place, when we wore 

 round and sailed back over the same ground again, overhauling 

 the lines and renewing the baits if requisite, which should be 

 occasionally done when they begin to lose their brilliancy, 

 or do not play well enough in the water to have a lifelike 

 appearance. 



'There,' said old John, 'd'ye see, sir?' holding the lead in 

 his hand, and jerking the bait as it towed in our wake, showing 

 its silvery sheen and blood-red side by turns ; ' seems to me, 

 sir, as if 'twas jist the tail of a launce a- working' in which 

 view the Mackerel evidently concurred, as I hooked another 

 the next moment, and exclaiming, 'Here we are again, John,' 

 he dropped the lead like a hot potato overboard, and sprang 



