26 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



fashioned " chop-sticks "—a lead-sinker, through 

 which was fastened a piece of cane or whalebone, 

 whence depended two short pieces of fine line 

 with a hook attached. The bait was lug-worms, 

 disgustingly pulpy things with yellow seeds inside, 

 and with deep red blood that left a lasting stain. 

 We dug them out from the wet sand at low water. 



Our boatman usually hit the bearings without 

 much delay, and had evidently closely studied 

 the tides. I found this kind of fishing was no 

 child's play. At first I got very much mixed 

 up with the long line when it was unrolled from 

 the winder. Then I had to learn how to manage 

 the plummet — to let it down, to raise it a little 

 and let it down again to give motion to the bait. 

 I was especially cautioned against letting the lead 

 sink down to the bottom, lest crabs should eat off 

 the bait ; and I was warned to strike sharply at 

 the least quiver of the line and to draw it up, and, 

 of course, to re-bait when necessary. 



I soon got into the way of it, and thrilled with 

 delight when I had a bite, and often pulled up two 

 pouting at a time, making the best score of all in 

 the boat. The fish were small, it is true — generally, 

 say, three to the pound — but my brother had the 

 distinction of capturing a monster, a real silver 

 whiting weighing three pounds, 



