VICISSITUDES 
6 or 7 feet wide. When the nets arrived, the natives 
collected stones about the size of an orange, wrapped 
palm leaves round them, and then tied them to the 
edge of the net, until it was evenly weighted all along, 
at intervals of about 6 inches. They then lowered 
their net into the water, so arranging it as to form a 
half-moon, and, scrambling along the sides of the 
watercourse, they gradually drew the mesh towards 
them, until they reached the upper end of the pool, 
where natives, standing breast-high in the water, 
landed the fish, as they were pressed towards the 
bank, in large dip nets. Some of the fish jumped 
over the net, and some escaped down stream, and 
even managed to plunge over the weir, for they were 
strong enough to take a leap of 6 feet. We caught 
eight beauties, none under 2 lbs. in weight, and some 
up to 4 lbs. They were, as far as I could make out, a 
species of fresh-water mullet, and in the main stream 
of the St. Joseph similar fish, weighing as much as 
15 lbs., are no uncommon catch. 
These fish are wonderfully provided by Nature 
with an appliance which helps them to combat the 
extraordinary current. At one moment you will see 
them being swept down resistlessly, but suddenly they 
shoot off into the quieter water and attach themselves 
to the rocks by a strong sucker near the mouth. 
There they hang just outside the current, their tails 
moving gently with the eddy; and when they have 
recovered their strength, they make another dash 
through the swifter waters, coming to anchor again 
when bafiled—otherwise it would be impossible for 
them to stem the stream. The fish we caught that 
130 
