unded his head to a
jelly.

Old "Begum," I must mention, witnessed my sudden departure from my
canoe, and the dear old fellow arrived at Rocher Rouge at the same
moment that I landed, so that we faced each other dripping wet in a most
comical manner. I sent "Begum" to fetch "Eddy," and in the meantime
emptied the canoe and put all straight, so that when the two animals
appeared on the cliff, standing out in bold relief against the clear
sky, I was in my canoe and on the way to the Cotills. They followed me
till I landed, and came and stood by me like two old comrades. I had
dragged the conger after me through the sea with a cord through his
gills, and this cord I attached to "Eddy," who dragged him home in
triumph, while I sat on his back, _a la conqueror_, as I rode into my
domain, tired and wet, and as hungry as the proverbial hunter.

A cheerful blaze of wood soon caused the kettle to boil, and over my
tea-supper I congratulated myself over my lucky adventure, for to lose
neither fish, canoe, nor self, was indeed a large slice of luck.

Next day I improvised a pair of scales with the help of a half
hundredweight and a seven-pound weight which I possessed, and found to
my surprise that the monster weighed one hundred and three pounds. This
was not only the largest eel I ever caught, but the largest I ever saw.
In Guernsey market the heaviest conger I saw was one of sixty-seven
pounds--a baby in comparison to mine!

The weights I used in weighing the monster were stones adjusted to the
proper iron weights, which I used as standards, and then by selecting
various sized stones obtained after great toil a whole set, from one
pound up to ten pounds, and thus could weigh anything.

I had many other fishing adventures, but I think the above was about the
most exciting. I had many good takes of whiting and pollock, but was not
so fortunate among the soles, and plaice, and such-like ground game, as
my net was a very ramshackle affair of my own construction.

I had also some remarkable miscellaneous captures at different times.
Once in the winter I had laid a long line for codling, and brought up,
firmly hooked, a very nice red tablecloth, beautifully worked round the
edge by some skilled hand in an Oriental pattern. I used it on gala
days as a flag, and I dare say passers by in the various vessels
wondered to what nationality it belonged, as the centre was ornamented
with a golden elephant with very curly tusks worked in