S6 NATIVES SPEARING THE SEER FISH. 
paddle out in search of the fish and on findhig a shoal give 
chase ; the man at the bow, besides his paddle, has a long 
three pronged bamboo spean like an eel spear, and wears 
a large shade over his eyes to assist him in seeing into the 
depths below. The pace they go and the turns and doubles 
they make is very exciting, and the excitement increases 
when the man at the bow stands up and with the spear 
balancing above his head prepares to strike — now he is going 
to throw ! No ! he calmly puts the spear down and paddles 
with all his might at one time passing close to you, then 
dashing off far away, suddenly doubling back again— now he 
is up once more, and the spear quivers in his hand. Now 1 
Now ! No, he cahnly lays down the spear again and is pad- 
dling away as hard as ever. This sometimes is repeated over 
and over again and my patience has been sorely tried when 
looking on, the calm unexcited bearing of the spearman making 
it still more provoking. At last the spear is thrown and with 
such unerring aim that 1 have never to my recollection seen 
a failure. The spear is heavily weighted at the base so that 
it throws up the fish, and being made fast to the boat by a 
line is easily hauled in. 1 have seen fish of between 20 
and 30 lbs, captured in this way. It is also interesting to 
watch the ospreys or fishing eagles, of which there were 
numbers, soaring high above and dropping like a bullet into 
the sea, rising again with a good sized fish in their talons, 
I became very tired of the life at Singapore ; the 
monotonous climate, a kind of perpetual hot house summer, 
and the lack of sport, made me apply for three months' leave 
to Java, and great was my joy on obtaining it. It was on the 
10th May, 1848 that I embarked on board the Dutch steamer 
for Batavia. Soon after my arrival 1 found that sport must 
