Chapt. ix. The Asiatic trimmer. 131 



about, looking for them, as his habit sometimes is, he 

 comes upon your bait, and as it is thoroughly natural, 

 of course takes it. 



"Ah me what perils do environ 



"The fish that meddles with cold iron." 



He has to go through a severe course of steel before 

 he has done with it. As there is no slack line at all, he 

 is struck the moment he has taken the bait; the line is 

 taught on him, and he is seen flapping about, with his 

 head half out of water. You have consequently no need 

 to be constantly examining your trimmers, as you can 

 see, from a quarter of a mile off, a great *fish flapping 

 and splashing on the top of the water. 



As there is no play whatever given to the fish, but a 

 dead pull from the moment he is hooked, it follows that 

 your line and hook must be strong, must be much strong- 

 er than it would be necessary to use on a rod. A single 

 hook of about the size of a No. 4 or 5 Limerick hook 

 will do very well; but a good strong treble hook is per- 

 haps a trifle better. It should be tied on a piece of the 

 stoutest pike gimp ; the natives use a bit of copper or 

 brass wire, which does very well. The line can be any 

 piece of good stout twine. You need not be nervous 

 about its being seen by the fish, for the manner of bait- 

 ing is such that there is nothing whatever to be seen in 

 the water, and the hook, be it ever so big in reason, can- 

 not be seen, because it is thoroughly screened by the 

 frog, which is in a direct line between your hook and the 

 fish to be taken. Of cord too there is only about a foot 



17* 



