CONGER EEL FISHING AT JERSEY. 53 



fish in the Channel he's over thirty pounds if 

 he's an ounce. Wot are you a doing on ? don't 

 you go anigh him." 



" My good fellow, I am only going to take the 

 hook out." 



" You leave that to me, sir. If he was to 

 make his teeth meet in you you'd know it, and 

 no mistake. There, take that," he muttered, as 

 he dealt the fish a stunning blow on the head 

 with the tiller. " Now to weigh him. There, 

 sir, you see, thirty-three pounds ; that's what I 

 call a fish. I remember, sir," he continued, " a 

 good fisherman who once lost his leg by a conger ; 

 it was a large 'un, and to haul in more easy like 

 he went astride on the gunnel, one leg in the 

 water and t'other in the boat, and he got the 

 fish up to the side, when it ketched him by the 

 knee, and nigh made its teeth meet ; it festered 

 and broke out awful, and the job ended by the 

 poor chap having his leg off. Bill Bother was 

 his name. Another time we wanted to fry a bit 

 of conger for our breakfast. We cut a large 'un 

 in two bits. One of our chaps was a walloping 

 about in the boat, when I'm dashed if the head 

 bit didn't grab him by the boot and bit him 



