112 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



supposed for leeches. It could not be for pickling 

 or preserving, for he had tied up their necks with a 

 tight piece of rag, into the strained surface of which 

 he was industriously pricking holes. 



" Come on, Jules, and leave the bottles ; I shall 

 never have time to work the minnow-net, catch live 

 bait, and try the holes for perch." 



"I'm ready; you take up your rod and the 

 casting-net, and I'll get you live bait. So come 

 along." 



*' The casting-net ? " I exclaimed ; " that is too large 

 in the mesh, for anything under a quarter of a pound ; 

 if you've no other net than that, I shall get no live 

 bait." 



" Oh yes ! we have plenty of live minnows ; come 

 along — bring the net; he has nothing to do with 

 minnows; I catch your minnows when we get to 

 the river, while you put your rod together. Come 

 along." 



Thus speaking, and with the air of a man who 

 knew what he was about, Jules preceded me, bearing 

 in either hand a large glass decanter, plain, and very 

 transparent, about the size of what we should deno- 

 minate in English a magnum, into which I perceived 

 he had inserted half a handful of crumbs of bread. I 

 gazed at him in astonishment, with dreamy notions of 



