AN ALBANIAN TROUT-STREAM 183 



was hurtling through the air behind him impelled 

 by a heavy " strike " with a sixteen-foot salmon 

 rod. 



We made a regular day of it, and finished 

 up with another form of fishing. As we were 

 rowing homewards we saw a cutter and a gig 

 putting off from our ship and making for the 

 nearest point on the sandy beach, and we 

 spotted a seine-net in the smaller boat. These 

 seining parties from men-of-war are not to be 

 missed. Wise commanders encourage them, as 

 they afford a welcome change of scene for men 

 constantly cooped up together in close quarters 

 during a long cruise. Discipline is relaxed for 

 the time, and the men wear any sort of " rig " 

 they like, as they do when coaling, that strenu- 

 ously dirty competitive effort now passing into 

 oblivion with the introduction of oil-fuel. We 

 decided to join that party, and landed near 

 them. Piles of dry wood were soon collected, 

 fires were lighted, the net was shot two or three 

 times to the accompaniment of much divided 

 authority, and of incessant advice in the tongue 

 of the West Country, whenever the shore-line 

 was passed from the gig to the keen spirits 

 who waded in, shoulder-deep, to fetch it. All 

 hands hauled with a will on the lines, and 

 plenty of sea-fish were soon gleaming white in 



