CHAPTER XXX.
Eel-fishing.--Setting the Nets.--Elvers.--The Merivale Float.
One autumn day, when the ground was red with fallen leaves and thelandscape was sodden with wet, the boys were busy in the boat-house withsome of their numerous occupations, when the conversation turned uponeels and eel-fishing,--how that eels bred in the sea, and in the springmyriads of tiny eels came up the rivers; when the river was wide,ascending it in two columns, one by each bank, so thick together thatyou might scoop them out in bucketfuls,--and how, when they met with anyobstruction, such as a weir or flood-gate, they will wriggle themselvesover it; and it often happens that where it is dry they stick fast toit, and their companions make their way over them, and leave them toperish. In the autumn, too, the eels migrate to the sea in vast numbers,and are caught by means of nets placed across the river. Jimmy said,--
"I say, Frank, do you remember all those eel-nets we saw by Horning?They will be in full work now. I vote we sail down next Friday night andsee them in operation."
"Very well," said Frank, "I don't think we could do better. We will geta half-holiday on Friday, so as to be there in good time."
Friday was wet and stormy, and the boys consulted as to the advisabilityof going. Frank said,--
"Let us go, as we have fixed to go. It may clear up, and if it does not,it doesn't much matter. We are used to getting wet, and it won't hurtus."
The others agreed; so taking in all the reefs in their sails, theystarted across the broad, while the wind howled, and the rain beat withblinding force against their faces. The sky was murky with drivingmasses of black cloud, and the lake was lashed into angry waves.
"This is a nice sort of day for a pleasure excursion," said Dick, as heplaced his hat more firmly upon his head and turned his back to thewind.
"Yes," said Frank. "Do you go into the cabin. I can manage the tillerand mizen, and Jimmy will take his turn at the main-sheet, and then youcan have a spell by and by."
"Oh no, I am not going to shirk it," replied Dick.
They struggled across the broad, and into the Hundred Stream, and beforevery long they reached its junction with the Bure, and brought up underthe lee of a sort of rough cabin which was built there. There was a barespot among the reeds and there, upon a wooden framework, hung theeel-nets, which two or three men were busy putting in order. When theyacht was made snug, Frank went up to them and said,--
"We have come, hoping you will let us see how the eel-nets are worked;but I am afraid we have chosen a very bad night."
"No, you have come the very best night you could have picked, sir,"answered one of the men. "There is no moon, and the water is rising. Theeels always run more freely when the night is dark and stormy."
"Oh, then we are in luck's way after all," said Frank to his companions.
"We shall be setting the nets directly, sir, and you had better comewith us in your punt."
"All right, we will."
The eel-nets were like huge bags, large at one end, and narrowingrapidly. The mesh at the large end was about two inches in diameter, butit quickly lessened until it was so small that a minnow could not havegot through it. The mouth of the net was made sufficiently wide tostretch across the river, and, in order to keep the body of itdistended, wooden hoops were placed at intervals down it. To each hoopinside the net was attached an inner circle of net, which narrowed to asmall opening, like the principle on which some mouse-traps areconstructed, so that the eels having passed through the narrow inletcould not find the way back again. The end portion of the net,comprising the last four hoops, is made in a separate piece or pocket,and is only fastened to the net when it is fishing. The juncture ismarked with a rope and buoy.
The men now fastened a heavy chain along one half of the lower side ofthe mouth of the net. This was the side which was to lie along thebottom of the river, and the chain was to keep it down. The net was nowtaken on board the boat, and the men rowed a little way down the river,followed by the crew of the _Swan_. The net was put out so that the baserested on the bottom. Heavy weights were fixed at the two bottom cornersof the net, and the two top corners were tied to posts fixed by the sideof the river. The men now sounded with a pole, to see that the chain layacross along the bottom. While they did so the boat heeled over so muchthat Dick said,--
"Another inch and the stream would be over the gunwale, and thosefellows would be pitched into the net and drowned."
The net was now pulled out far down the river, and the pocket tied on,and then it was left to itself.
"Don't the wherries ever do any damage to the nets?" asked Jimmy.
"Sometimes, sir; but they know where they are set, and they takes carewhere they put their quants if they be quanting; and if they be sailingthey pass over the nets without doing them any harm."
After this they set another net lower down, and then they returned tothe hut, and, sitting by the peat fire, they had some hot tea, andwaited for an hour, knowing that the eels were rushing down stream, andinto the nets.
The wind howled dismally over the marshes, and the rain hissed on thewater.
"It's lonesome work, sir," said one of the men to Frank, who had drawnnearer the fire with a shudder.
"Yes; does it pay?"
"Pretty well at times, sir. This is what we should call a very finenight for our work, as the eels run so much better than they do on acalm night. It will make some pounds difference to us."
"What do you do with the eels?"
"Some we sells at Norwich and Yarmouth, but the most part goes to Londonor Birmingham. The Black Country men are very fond of a nice rich eel;but come, sir, it is time to take up the first net now."
They went down the black river again, until they came to the buoy whichmarked the pocket, or "cod," as it is technically termed, of the net.This was hauled up and detached from the rest of the net. It was veryheavy and full of eels, which were wriggling about in a black slimymass. They put the mouth of the cod over a basket which was smaller atthe top than at the bottom, so that the eels could not crawl out, andpoured them into it.
There were about thirty pounds weight of eels, the major part beingabout a pound weight each, but some were two or three pounds in weight.The cod was then tied on to the net again and lowered, and the next netwas visited in the same way, and found to contain about the samequantity of eels.
The nets were first laid about seven o'clock, and first taken up abouteight, and at intervals of an hour through the night the nets werevisited, and about the same quantity of eels taken from them each time.This lasted up to half-past one o'clock, and then there was a greatfalling off.
"They have pretty well stopped coming down now, sir. We can leave thenets and go and have some sleep. The nets will hold all the eels whichwill get into them by the morning."
"Did you ever meet with any accident while eel-fishing?" asked Dick.
"I have only seen one, sir; but that was a bad one. It was the yearbefore last, and my mate had had a drop too much, and he overbalancedhimself and fell overboard into the net, and the stream carried him downit before I could catch hold of him. There was no one to help me, andbefore I could get the heavy net ashore he was dead. It was a fearfulthing, and I have thought of it many a time since. I used to be fond ofa glass myself at that time, but I have never touched a drop since."
"Did you ever see the little eels coming up the river in the spring?"asked Jimmy, to change the subject.
"Oh, you mean the elvers. Ay, and more's the pity! the people catch tonsof them to feed the pigs with. If they would let them alone, they wouldbe worth a good many pounds to some one in the autumn," answered theman.
EELS.]
"If the eels breed in the sea, Frank," said Dick, "what do the eels dowhich cannot get to the sea,--those which live in ponds?"
"Make the best of it, I suppose, like sensible beings," answered Frank.
"Do you often have such a good night as this?" asked Jimmy.
"No, not very often. You see, we want so m
any things together--wind,rain, rising water, and no moon."
After the morning dawned the nets were taken up for the day. Besideseels they contained a quantity of miscellaneous matter, such as a deaddog, sticks, weeds, old boots, a bottle or two, and various other refusewhich the stream had brought down.
The eels had been put overnight in the well of the boat, and now the menproceeded to sort them, separating the big ones (for which they receiveda larger price) from the small ones.
In order to do this they constantly dipped their hands in sand, for theeels were slippery customers.
The rain had ceased, but the day was dull and dreary, and the _Swan_sailed home early, her crew satisfied with the glimpse they had had ofhow eels were caught for profit.
In the afternoon they sailed about the broad in order to try a new floatwhich Frank had invented for pike-fishing. They had been accustomed totrail their spinning baits after the yacht as they sailed about, but thewake left by the yacht generally disturbed the fish, so that they had tolet out a very long line before they could catch anything, and the linethen became fouled in the weeds. Now Frank had invented a float whichdid away with this drawback. You may have noticed how, when towing aboat with the tow-rope fastened a few feet from the bows, she will sheerout from you. It occurred to Frank to adapt the same principle to afloat, so he cut a piece of deal a quarter of an inch thick, eightinches long, and four wide, pointed at both ends. To one side of this heattached a keel four inches deep, leaded along the bottom. This side waspainted green, and the other white. To a point about one-third of theway from one end of this float was attached a rough line. To the otherwas fastened a shorter length of line with a spinning trace attached.When this float was laid in the water with the keel side undermost, andset in motion, it sheered out, and as the yacht sailed along and thereel line was payed out, the float swam along in a parallel course withthe yacht, and as far out as they chose to let out line. It then passedover undisturbed water, and a great change was soon observed in theincreased number of pike taken by the help of this float. Theychristened it the "Merivale float," and they were so pleased with itssuccess as to have a dim idea of taking out a patent for it.