was of real use to her man in those days. Now he seems to be growing independent of her again. Then she smiles comfortably, for she knows that all fears on that score are groundless. He is hers, body and soul. And she―― A small, unclean, and insistent hand is tugging at her skirt, and Miss Carr, swaying unsteadily beneath the burden of a bulky and tattered volume, claims her attention. "Show me pictures," she commands. She and her tome are hoisted up, and the exposition begins. "Where did you find this book, Beloved?" enquires Daphne. The book is an ancient copy of the 'Pilgrim's Progress,' and we have encountered it once before in this narrative. "Over there," replies Beloved, indicating the bottom shelf of a bookcase with a pudgy thumb-"under ze Gwaphics.' What's ze name of that genelman?" To Miss Carr distinctions of caste are as yet unknown. In her eyes every member of the opposite sex, from the alien who calls on Thursdays with a hurdy-gurdy to the knightin - armour who keeps eternal vigil in the outer hall, is a "genelman." Even if you are emitting flames from your stomach, as in the present instance, you are not debarred from the title. Daphne surveys the picture in a reminiscent fashion, and her thoughts go back to a dis tant Sunday morning at the Rectory, with her youngest brother kneeling on the floor, endeavouring to verify a pictorial reference in this very volume. "What is he doin' to the other genelman?" continues the searcher after knowledge upon her knee, in a concerned voice. "He is trying to hurt him, dear." "What for?" So the inexorable, immemorial catechism goes on, to be answered with infinite patience and surprising resource. Presently the cycle of enquiry completes itself, and the original question crops out once more. "What did you say was ze name of that genelman?" with a puckered, frowning effort at remembrance. "Apollyon, dear." "Oh." Then the enquirer strikes a fresh note. "Do you know him?" "I used to," replies Daphne. "At least," she adds, "I used to know some one who I thought was like him. But his name turned out not to be Apollyon after all." "What was his name, then his pwoper name?" pursues Miss Carr, deeply intrigued. Daphne turns to another illustration, coming much later in the book, and surveys it with shining eyes. "His proper name, Beloved?" she asks. "Yes. What was it?" "Mr Greatheart," Daphne softly. THE END. says TURTLE-FISHING. DUTY took me to a small Arab town on the coast of British East Africa last February, and chance found me in the fish-market one day. The variety of fish was wonderful, and their colouring such as is only found in the tropics; but what chiefly attracted my attention was a group of half a dozen large turtles, fresh from the sea and sprawling on their backs, waiting for purchasers. I asked how they had been caught, and the question received rather a curious answer. Turtle-fishing, I was told, was practised entirely (with the exception of a stray animal caught now and again in a net) by natives who came from another part of the coast and stayed here only for the season. Their method of capture was to use sucker-fish attached to lines. These fish fastened themselves on to the turtles, and such was the tenacity of their hold that even the largest animals were unable to get away. For months past I had heard rumours of this method of fishing, but I had never met any one who had actually seen it practised, and, to tell the truth, I was very doubtful if such a thing could be done. So, evidently, was my companion, an Arab Sheikh, who, though he had spent a lifetime on the coast, stoutly denied the possibility of such proceedings. The only way of satisfying myself was to see a turtle caught by these means, and I asked the Sheikh if he would try and arrange for the fishermen to take me with them on their next trip. This he promised to do, but not without many protestations of the difficulty of overcoming the men's dislike to showing their trade secrets to outsiders. He evidently underrated his own powers of persuasion, however, for after a short interval he came to see me, bringing a native fisherman who willingly consented to show me all that I wanted to see. The expedition was arranged for the following morning. Daylight saw us off. The natives were in their own craft, a roughly constructed canoe, with remarkably little beam for its length; the Sheikh and I in my boat. The way at first led between the coral reef, which fringes all this coast, and the shore. The scene was impressive even to an eye jaded with tropical beauty. The sun rising behind a low bank of clouds on the horizon gilded earth and water with its light; above it was a background of unbroken blue, which promised a day of calm and fiery heat. The sea lay between the reef and the sandy shore, rippling with the breath of a warm land breeze. Behind the sand stretched a monotony of grey-brown bush, relieved here and there by clusters of ragged cocoa - nut palms and an occasional baobab tree. The beach ended in a point crowned with graceful casuarinas, and after that there was no more sand; coral took its place, and the bush came down to the water's edge. our pilot, we a narrow to lant gentleman that he is, he My new crew consisted of five natives: there were the two fishermen, two lads who managed the boat, and a small boy of about six who, I take it, was an apprentice and expected to make himself generally useful, which he did in the intervals of helping himself with surprising liberality from a pot of cooked maize flour into which various odds and ends had found their way. Following passed through opening in the reef, nearly getting swamped in the surf as we did so, and emerged into the open sea. The breath of wind had died away and the water was like glass glass heaving and swaying under the lift of a mighty swellwhich was all that was left of the North-East Monsoon. A couple of rude oars-mangrove poles with a small circular wooden head tied on to the head were brought out in the canoe, and with their aid and that of an energetic paddler in the stern good endway was made. The course was eastward, following at some Fishing now commenced in distance the edge of the reef. earnest. Two sucker-fish, or Half an hour's progress took "taza as the natives call us to the fishing-ground, and them, were used, and a third the fact that we had reached was kept in reserve. These it was unmistakable. At a 66 'taza" varied in size; I should short distance from the boat say their length was roughly the oily surface of the water about 3 feet, 2 feet 4, and 1 was broken for the fraction foot 8 inches. With the exof a second: a turtle's head ception of their extraordinary bobbed up, looked round, and limpet-like power of attaching dived in again with a noisy themselves to anything, there splash. The enjoyment that I seems to be nothing abnormal was finding in the trip was, un- about them. They are slender, fortunately, not shared by my green - coloured, scaleless fish, good friend the Arab Sheikh. with something rather suggestThe stream of conversation ive of a snake in their movewhich he had maintained since ments. The part by which we started died away. Gal- they attach themselves to their prey lies at the back of their heads. In appearance I can only compare it to the corrugated rubber-sole of a tennis shoe. It is only while they are in the sea, apparently, that they possess this power of attachment. I handled one of the fish myself, and it made no attempt to fasten itself to my hand either in or out of the water. The "taza" are secured by passing a piece of cord under the skin of the body near the tail, passing it round the body and knotting it. This cord is then tied on to a fishing-line, just as an ordinary hook would be, and no further preparation is needed. When not wanted, the fisherman passes the line through the fish's gills and out at the mouth, knotting it so as to form a loop. The "taza" is then put overboard at the end of about 6 feet of line, and immediately attaches itself to the side of the boat and by it is towed along. I noticed the men were always most careful to secure the fish in this way, even if they were being put out only for a few minutes, and I concluded it was necessary to do so in order to bring the "taza's" head up to the direction in which the boat was going. When wanted for fishing, the man puts his hand over the side of the boat, pulls the "taza away from the board to which it is clinging, quickly unfastens the loop, and holding the body sometimes by the head, but more often by the tail, throws the fish a few yards away from the boat. On reaching the water the "taza" darts away without hesitation, as if glad to gain such restricted liberty, and the fisherman sits and holds the line to which it is attached as if he were using an ordinary hook and bait. And on this morning we had not long to wait for results. After only a few minutes' fishing, one of the men made a sudden exclamation, and his line began to pay out rapidly. His companion hastily hauled in his own "taza," passed the line through its gills and mouth, tossed it overboard again and seized an oar. other two boys betook themselves to their paddles, and immediately we were in pursuit of the turtle to which the first "taza had become fast. had no watch, but I should say the turtle was played for about half an hour; once or twice it came up to the surface, but the curved back and head emerged only for a second and down it plunged again. The I and it rapidly swam down, drawing out the line as it went. It evidently failed to find its quarry, for after a few minutes it was pulled in by the tail and again thrown out, but this time on the other side of the boat. In this direction the quest was successful; the line became taut, and the fish had evidently joined its mate on the turtle's body. The second line was now transferred to the first fisherman, who held them both in one hand, while his companion busied himself in getting ready a roughly fashioned, three-hooked grapnel attached to a rope. There was a short interval while the boat was paddled over the spot where the turtle was thought to be lying. Then the grapnel was looped on to the two "taza" lines by a cord attached to its shank, and it was lowered over the boat's side till it reached the bottom. An anxious moment followed. The man was evidently feeling his position, and waiting some indication that the grapnel was under the turtle. Suddenly he struck hard and hauled in a few feet of his rope. A broad grin broke over his face. There could be no question as to what had happened. turtle was fast. All was animation; the rope was quickly hauled in; the two boatmen dropped their paddles and dived headlong over the boat's side. Looking down into the clear water, I could plainly see their forms struggling with that of the turtle, which was being rapidly drawn to the The surface. In a second all had emerged; each boy held grimly on to the turtle's fin, and its back was firmly pressed against the boat's side. Considering its size, it made very little resistance; the face seemed to bear an expression of surprised indignation and alarm. In the twinkling of an eye it was hoisted over the boat's side and placed on its back in the bottom. The feat was accomplished,-I could be sceptical no longer. The turtle was a large one : measuring it later, I found it was 5 feet 8 inches from mouth to tail and 2 feet 9 inches across the base of its shell. I judged it to be old, for there were minute marine growths on the under part of the body. The grapnel had caught it near the joint of one of the hind fins. When it was lifted into the boat one of the "taza" was still clinging to the base of the shell, but the other had dropped off, no doubt disturbed by the action of the grapnel. One of the men unloosened the first "taza" without any apparent effort, and I was told their grip relaxed immediately they came out of the water. |