Chapt. viii. Preparing groundbait and bait. 119 



three such places. The baiting is done with Bengal gram 

 (alias Chenna) the servant taking ten or twenty measures 

 of it, and throwing in a handful, every now and then, for 

 hours together, till all the fish in the neighbourhood have 

 congregated to get it. 



The gram is said to require some preparation, though 

 with what object I do. not know, for no amount of parch- 

 ing, short of burning to a cinder, makes it at all more 

 buoyant. 



The established practice however, is to soak it in cold 

 water for about 2 hours, which is long enough to make 

 it swell as much as it ever will, and then parch it in a 

 frying pan, without the everlasting ghee or any such 

 thing, till well browned and crisp, just as you would 

 like to eat it. It will not actually float till fried to a 

 cinder, but it is more or less buoyant, as it is more or 

 less fried. 



This then is your ground bait, and the bait with 

 which you fish should be just the same, with the one ad- 

 dition, that it must have a hole through it, large enough 

 to admit the gut and the shank of the hook, but not to 

 allow the barb to pass. Boring this hole is rather a 

 bore, for the grain, after frying, is very hard. It can be 

 done with a very fine brad-awl, but the best way is with 

 a red hot needle, set at the end of a handle, that you can 

 expose to the fire. A dozen, or a dozen and a half, bored 

 berries are quite enough for a day's fishing. 



The hook used should be a number 7, Limerick, on a 

 single gut. Whatever I may have said to the contrary 



