THE GROUND-SEINE. 
213 
many slender lianes depending like long strings from 
its branches. 
In the bottom of the bight, upon the narrow beach 
that looks like a thread of silver between the black 
mountain and the equally black reflection, we see 
several moving atoms ; and a little speck slowly glides 
out into the still calm bay. Those are the fisher- 
men, and this is their canoe, in which they are 
carrying out their ground seine. One end of a long 
rope is made fast on shore, and the seine is attached 
to the other extremity ; when the canoe has got as 
far as the rope will allow, the seine, loaded and 
corked, is gradually dropped parallel to the shore ; 
and a rope of similar length to the former, but at- 
tached to the other side of the net, is brought to 
land. 
If we leave our post of observation, and walk 
leisurely down towards the beach, we shall arrive by 
the time they begin to haul. It is a pleasant road,, 
and at this hour, beneath the cool shadow of the 
mountain, walking is a very different thing from 
what it would be in the after part of the day, 
- “ sol ubi montium 
Mutaret umbras,” 
when the fierce beams will glare upon us with two- 
fold rigour, one sun in the sky, and another in the 
sea. Tall trees overhang the road on both sides, for 
part of the way, many of them covered with beautiful 
blossom ; fine flowering shrubs display their charms 
amidst the bush, and some magnificent butterflies 
hover about and flap their heavy wings over the 
