20 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



line flew right over my head, with a tench at 

 the end of it weighing about half a pound. 



All day long we fished. But we caught nothing 

 more, and at sunset returned home. 



After supper my brother read to me Izaak 

 Walton's remarks about the cooking of tench, 

 carp, and pike. We determined to profit thereby, 

 so the next day, after 1 had exhibited my tench 

 to all our friends in the village, we proceeded to 

 clean it and to stuff it with herbs and fresh butter. 

 We persuaded the carpenter's wife to act as cook, 

 but it turned out an awful, greasy mess of tough 

 skin, many bones, and muddy flesh ; yet we ate 

 it with gusto, and survived to tell the tale. 



Shortly after this we left Bexhill for Hastings — 

 the old-fashioned Hastings of years ago — and put 

 up at an old house in the picturesque London 

 Road. On its south garden-wall grew a magnifi- 

 cent jargonelle pear-tree, whose maturing fruit I 

 coveted. 



Whenever possible, I went to the rocks off the 

 fish-market at low tide.'' It was a fine preserve 

 for crabs, shrimps, anemones, and other marine 

 produce. Unfortunately, in my eagerness to net 

 some big prawns, I tumbled into a deep pool, 



■ Neither Hastings nor St. Leonards possessed piers in 

 those davs. 



