CHAPTER V. 



SPINNING FOR MAHSEER. 



"That fish that is not catched thereby 



"Alas I is wiser far than I." — 



Donne. 



1HE inventory which we took in a former chapter 

 (Chap. III.) of the contents of this Asiatic gentleman's 

 intestinal canal showed that he was as omnivorous as 

 the immortal Mr. Samuel Weller was omnihihulous. 

 Metaphorically speaking, the accommodating answer of 

 each of them is "all taps is vanities;" but the particular 

 vanity of the Mahseer, or at least that which we are best 

 able to oblige him with, is, as we have seen, a small fish; 

 and the question next arises how is the dish to be served. 

 Every one knows that fish is good for nothing if it 

 is not fresh, and a pike or perch carries this maxim so 

 far as to prefer them "all alive, alive oh." A little 

 roach all alive and kicking has peculiar charms for a 

 jack, but well nigh irresistible though it may be, and 

 many staunch advocates though it may have in con- 

 sequence, still I am not one of them. Except it be for 

 a trimmer, I should prefer not to use it; my idea being 

 that with a dead fish you can cover so much more water, 

 that you can show your spinning bait to ten or twenty 

 fish, where your stationary live bait will be seen by only 



