Eastern Specimens 315 



a line astern when the schooner was running with a 

 fresh breeze. 



From Kingston I went to Port au Prince in Hayti, 

 and in that wonderful harbour watched the sharks 

 and the Barracouta prowling ravenously about, taking 

 never-ending toll, the former of all that fell from the 

 ship, the latter of all sorts of fish. It was like watching 

 a continual battle, and, indeed, the warfare of the 

 submarine world is unending, whether we can see it 

 or not. 



Then I returned home, and after a season in 

 Liverpool sailed for the East Indies in a ship where 

 my fishing experiences were widely extended. The 

 strangest of them was in the Indian Ocean some dis- 

 tance out of sight of Mauritius, to the eastward of it. 

 The mate had been unsuccessfully trolling for dolphin 

 with a piece of red bunting, the ship sailing about 

 four knots an hour. And to my great delight he 

 permitted me to attend to his lins while he went to 

 ' take the sun.' I sat on the wheel grating holding 

 the line, as happy as I could be, and fully expecting 

 to succeed where the mate had failed (I had done so 

 before), but without any success until eight bells, when 

 the mate went below to work up the ship's position. 

 He had hardly disappeared when I felt a tremendous 

 tug at the line, and springing to my feet I hauled 

 with all my might. But my surprise was too great for 

 words, when, on landing my fish, I found it to be a 

 goodly Barracouta of about ten pounds' weight, 

 and identical in appearance with those I had been 

 acquainted with in the West Indies. 



Fearful lest I should be superseded in my pleasant 

 task, I unhooked my prize as quietly as possible, got 

 the relieved man from the wheel to take it forward, 

 and resumed my fishing, landing two others in quick 



