Chapt. x. Eel pie. Night lines. 137 



It is common in all the rivers of the Western Coast; 

 and the fry may be seen in the rice fields, where they 

 breed, not going down to the sea for the purpose, as do 

 some eels. 



Its flavour is much esteemed by some Europeans, and 

 the natives in your camp are always very glad to get it. 

 It is as well therefore to know how to catch it, and, as it 

 is easily caught, your servants can be allowed to do this 

 much for themselves, if you will be at the trouble to pro- 

 vide them with the simple tackle necessary, and the bait, 

 which in any case you would have to throw away at the 

 end of the day from its being dead. It grows to two feet 

 in length, and will afford them a good meal, and you beam- 

 ing countenances to look upon! 



The plan is to set night lines with dead fish. Take 

 your dead bait of four inches more or less in length, 

 and string one on to a common double eel hook on wire, 

 by passing the baiting needle down the throat and out 

 at the centre of the tail, and drawing your hook after it 

 till the hooks are well home to the mouth of the bait. 

 Then attach the hook to the line, and having tied a bul- 

 let or other good sized sinker to the line, throw it well 

 into the middle of any good large deep still pool; make 

 well fast to the shore, and leave it all night. If you 

 have set half a dozen of these, you will probably find 

 two or three Mastacembli on in the morning. 



These common eel hooks are to be bought in India, 

 and are almost the only hooks, except bare sea-hooks, to 

 be had in the Madras Presidency. Oakes and Co. have 



18 



