136 FISHING GOSSIP. 
communicated through the quivering shaft of the 
spear, tells at once that it has penetrated a living 
organised being, and that the stroke has been mortal. 
Possibly the sensation very much resembles what 
would be given under similar circumstances by 
another member of the eel tribe, the Gymmnotus electri- 
cus; but never having had the pleasure of fleshing my 
spear in the sides of one of these floating or swimming 
galvanic. batteries, I cannot pretend to precision as 
to the fact. Take up the victim, however, gently; all 
unnecessary cruelty is of course avoided ; and a few 
taps of the head of the spear against the edge of a 
seat will disengage it from the prey. And here let 
no humanitarian turn up his eyes and hint a prosecu- 
tion; for has not that eel died the epic death of a. 
hero? a death which a Diomede or a Philoctetes 
might be proud to inflict or to receive from a worthy 
foe by the waters of Simois or Scamander? Here, 
too, is the proper place to explain more fully the dark 
allusions made to immersion. In his anxiety about 
striking, the young spearsman is liable to lean too 
much forward on his spear, and lose his balance. 
In that case Dingey, like a vicious little hack, “jibs” 
back from the stroke, and lands the operator all-fours 
in the pool. If not a good swimmer, he may make 
up his mind as he obeys the laws of gravitation that 
the accident can only happen once. 
If the morning continues propitious as it began, 
