410 Big Game Fishes 
Such a contrivance was utterly impossible to 
a novice, and in my novitiate I afforded the 
habitués of this portion of the reef no little 
amusement. I succeeded in catching myself, 
throwing myself over, and nearly losing my 
teeth by forgetting to let go at the proper mo- 
ment. But in the hands of Paublo the casting 
of the net became a scene worthy the brush of 
an artist. The object was to toss the folded net 
so that it would radiate over the school; and to 
accomplish this he spread it out in some way 
over his left arm, holding a portion of the edge 
between his teeth and the coil of cord in one 
hand. In this position, crouching, moving step 
by step, stealthily, toward the school, he reached 
a casting distance, perhaps eight or ten feet, then 
would stop, give a slight swing to the left, a long 
turn to the right, and with all his force launch 
the net into the air ahead of him. At once it 
assumed a circular shape, dropping upon the 
school, the lead weights sinking it to the bot- 
tom, holding the mullets in its toils. He now 
approached and began a series of twitches upon 
the cord, which imparted a like movement to 
the radiating cords, which presently hauled the 
sinkers together, completely enclosing the fish 
