ide to feed
upon the scraps and odds and ends which came from the village down the
little streamlet. And often enough their habit was, when enclosed, to
play follow-my-leader, and leap the cork line and get out again to sea.

It was well that the precaution was taken, for upon this occasion a
little shoal had been drawn in, to swim about peaceably enough for a
time; but when the water shallowed, and their leader found that the wall
of net was in its way, a frantic rush was made, and Dinass brought down
his oar with a tremendous splash, making them dart in another direction;
but there the top and bottom of the net were drawing together, forming a
bag into which the shoal passed, and their effort to shoot out of the
water was frustrated.

Again they appeared at the surface, but the splashing of the oar checked
them; and this happened over and over, till their chance was gone, and,
mingled with the other fish enclosed, they swam wildly about, seeking
now for a hole or a way beneath the line of leads.

The fish sought in vain; and as the ends of the net were drawn in more
and more, Dinass waded behind about the centre of the great bag, taking
hold of the cork line and helping it along till the sandy beach was
neared, and relieving some of the strain, till slowly and steadily the
seine was drawn right up with its load, after cleanly sweeping up
everything which had been enclosed, this being a great deal more than
was wanted.

For the contents of the net were curious; and as the cork line was drawn
back flat on the sands, there was plenty of work for the men to pick off
the net the masses of tangled fucus and bladder-wrack which had come up
with the tide. Jelly-fish--great transparent discs with their
strangely-coloured tentacles--were there by the dozen; pieces of
floating wood, scraps of rope and canvas, and a couple of the curious
squids with their suckers and staring eyes.

All these were thrown off rapidly upon the sands right and left, and
then the baskets were brought into play for the gathering of the spoil,
while, scurrying away over net and sand, and making rapidly for the
water, dozens of small crabs kept escaping from among the flapping fish,
strangely grotesque in their actions, as they ran along sidewise,
flourishing their pincers threateningly aloft.

In its small way it proved to be a fortunate haul, including as it did
the whole of the little shoal of grey mullet, some three dozen, in their
silvery s