FRENCH MINNOWS. 113 



bottle-imps and conjurations ; but his bearing was so 

 positive that I followed in speechless mystification. 

 At length we reached the river, and the first good- 

 looking perch-hole, where he halted, with these words : 



^* Now then, you put your rod together ; get out 

 your line and hook ; and wdien you have done that, I 

 will have a hundred live minnows." 



So saying, I saw him lie down by the side of the 

 stream, at a shallower place, for a moment or two; and 

 then return to get up his casting -net and see that it 

 was fit for use. In five minutes I was ready ; and, in 

 a sort of hopeless agony, asked him — 



" Where are my live minnows ? " 



" All ready ! " he exclaimed, scarce taking his eyes 

 from the lead line with which he was busy ; then 

 dropping the net, he repaired to the shallow, and, 

 lifting only one of his bottles, brought it to me filled — 

 a jolly full bottle of fine lively minnows of the most 

 approved sort. 



These bottles are made on purpose for fishing. 

 That part at the nether end which protrudes inwards 

 to the centre (and which, I believe, must protrude a 

 little in all cases ; but is often, for the purposes of short 

 measure, made much larger than necessary), in these 

 fishing bottles was a trifle more elongated, and at the 

 end of it there was a hole about the size of a finger, 



I 



