FISH -SPEAR ING. 303 



much as his unfortunate brethren, who may not have 

 such comfortable snug quarters, or be able to find their 

 way to them when pressed by hunger. 



I never tried a fly in the bay, but am convinced it would 

 be taken very well. There is a fish called a " springer " that 

 makes tremendous leaps out of the water after insects, and 

 would give capital sport. These fish are very cunning and 

 not to be caught like common fish with a simple hook and 

 line ; they will come up and look at the bait, swim round 

 it in all directions, but will not even nibble. If you throw a 

 piece of the same substance as your bait overboard, twenty 

 of them make a rush at once to seize it, then have a sniff 

 at your hooked bit, give a kind of chaffing whisk of their 

 tails, and then sail away. These fellows made me very 

 angry ; I tried the thinnest lines, but it was no go, the 

 water being so clear ; but at last I devised a plan for circum- 

 venting them. Having by great practice acquired the art 

 of throwing the assagy, I procured one that had a small 

 barbed end, that the Kaffirs used for fish. I put a piece 

 of lead round the part where the iron joined the wood, 

 and made a piece of string fast to the spear, harpoon 

 fashion. Getting the boat into that part of the bay 

 frequented by these artful fish, I made all ready for a 

 lunge, and told the Kaffir to throw out some little 

 chopped pieces of meat. A dozen springers rose after them 

 at once, close to the boat, and not more than a few feet 

 under water. Allowing for the refraction of the water, 

 the spear was thrown down with great force ; it dis- 

 appeared, but soon came up again near the top of the 

 water, the end violently agitated. A gentle, but steady 



