GETTING SOUTHWARD, 65 



having four wings) flew on board that night, as if 

 purposely to provide us with the necessary bait. 



Next morning, about four bells, the sea being like 

 a mirror, unruffled by a breath of wind, we lowered and 

 paddled off from the ship about a mile. When far 

 enough away, we commenced operations by squeezing 

 in the water some pieces of fish that had been kept for 

 the purpose until they were rather high-flavoured. The 

 exuding oil from this fish spread a thin film for some 

 distance around the boat, through which, as through 

 a sheet of glass, we could see a long way down. 

 Minute specks of the bait sank slowly through the 

 limpid blue, but for at least an hour there was no sign 

 of life. I was beginning to fear that I should be called 

 to account for misleading all hands, when, to my un- 

 bounded delight, an immense shoal of flying-fish came 

 swimming round the boat, eagerly picking up the savoury 

 morsels. We grasped our nets, and, leaning over the 

 gunwale, placed them silently in the water, pressing 

 them downward and in towards the boat at the same 

 time. Our success was great and immediate. We 

 lifted the wanderers by scores, while I whispered im- 

 ploringly, " Be careful not to scare them ; don't make 

 a sound." All hands entered into the spirit of the 

 thing with great eagerness. As for Mistah Jones, his 

 delight was almost more than he could bear. Suddenly 

 one of the men, in lifting his net, slipped on the smooth 

 bottom of the boat, jolting one of the oars. There was 

 a gleam of light below as the school turned — they had 

 all disappeared instanter. We had been so busy that 

 we had not noticed the dimensions of our catch ; but 

 now, to our great joy, we found that we had at least 

 eight hundred fish nearly as large as herrings^ We at 



