Chapt. xm. Pine-apple fibre. 171 



I have an idea however, that a line superior to both 

 silk, and the cotton companies, might be made out of the 

 pine-apple fibre, which is very strong, very fine, and stiff, 

 and light, and is said to stand the water well. It is from 

 the leaf of the cultivated pine-apple that the fibre is ob- 

 tainable. The native fishermen use it, saying it is stronger 

 than any other. One hundred and twenty yards is ge- 

 nerally enough; but K. has found with his big fish, and 

 I can well believe him, that 200 yards was not a bit too 

 much. 



Fortunately however a fish does not usually take out 

 all your line, and expend all -his strength in one rush. 

 No one has told him that your line is only so many yards 

 in length, and that if he will only persevere, he must 

 come to the end of it, and break it; so he ordinarily 

 confines himself to the limits of the pool in which you 

 have hooked him, and rushes up and down that; so that 

 you lose and recover and re-use the same length of line 

 many times in the course of one fight. He does not ordi- 

 narily leave his village for foreign travel at such a time. 



Of all your lines however be careful that they do 

 not rot from being put away wet. 



For gut too I could wish that some 

 Gut - fisherman, who has time on his hands, would 



give the tussa silkworm (Antherwa Paphia) a trial. It 

 is more than twice the size of the ordinary silkworm; 

 and the Atlas moth (Attacus Atlas) is still larger. I am 

 inclined to think a thicker and stronger piece of gut, for 

 salmon and Mahseer fishing, might be got out of them. 



22* 



