34 



BROADLAND SPORT 



the surface to see whether they have been successful in 

 securing a prize. The boat is kept in position by the spear 

 so constantly coming in contact with the ground, and in 

 this manner they work along the mud banks where the eels 

 are thought to be lying. 



When ice covers the water so that spearing from a boat is 

 impossible, the eel spearers often cut holes in the ice over the 

 favourite mud banks, through which openings they use their 

 spears to their advantage and profit. Selling the eels for 

 about 4d. per pound, many men are thus enabled to earn from 

 10s. to 1 per week, which is very acceptable when other 

 work fails ; but the majority of eel spearers are watermen and 

 marshmen, who gain most of their money during the summer 

 months, and during the winter the off season they are only 

 too glad to obtain what money they can by eel spearing, wild- 

 fowl shooting, or at the ice harvest. 



AN EEL-SPEARER AT WORK. 



