The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-12-11
FIGHTING EELS.
Dangerous Fishing in FIji--An Awkward
Fish ID Handle.

From tie London Times
! We sometimes fish for u kind OF sea
Dream" with hand.line at night, and my
servant tried one evening a dump Of dough
! f,r want Of be'te- bait lie felt something
nibble, nbblc at ms line and at last steady
haul haul so, returning the compliment he
hauled too, and presently landed strange
fish, like gigantic English Dream in shape.
1t was cooked and pronounced A | by all
the household, andt encouraged by his sue.
cess T. tried again next nj ght. Another re-
warded him and he tisned on. Presently a
bite, and then dead pull Having strong
line and wired hook, he hauled away, and
dragged up an ugly brown eel When he
attempted to seize it tn creature turned and
bit his across the knuckes, nearly clearing
two of the joints of skin and flesh. Fish
! ing In Fiji has its dangers. After dressing
his wound, 1 sat up writing, the household
having retired TO bed. | was interrupted BY
a young boatman rushing IN, "Oh, please,
sir, give me light. | have got big eel like
that which bit T. this evening He lies in
my boat biting furiously, and can't get HIM
off the line. l have jumped overheard and
come for help" He was dripping. We lit
a lantern, and, taking the big office ruler, ad-
journed to the battlefield. FRS. Charley
drew In the boat, at the bottom of which, by
the lantern dimly burning" | could see the
enemy cruising about. He dropped in, and
| passed in the lantern and scrambled down.
AS soon as we approached him he made at
Charlcy's naked feet. The young fellow
made spring, nearly shot me out OF the
cranky little boat, and upset the lantern. AS
| stopped to lift 1t the brute charged me. |
had quite enough to do to save myself, and,
as had dropped the ruler at the first surge,
had no weapon. The ruler kept rolling with
the rocking boat. sometimes Just within
reach, but al iriCd to seize it away it would
roll! The eel was master of the situation
for the time; but at last Charley fetched him
crack with the strelcher, and, having man.
aged in IA lull OF The fight to.catch the errant
ruler, seconded the blow with "stunner."
The heavy ebony did its duty and the Shiny
brute lay quiet while Charley rained blows
on it, and finally severed his head from his
body with his claspknife. 1 never saw
more savage, fierce beast; he fairly sprang
at us, with his jaws wide open and his small
white eye cleaning ferociously The way
the lad and | danced in that rocking boat,
with the lantern, the ruler, and the fish roll.
ing at the bottom, would take clevercr pens
than mine to describe. Next evening, how.
ever, II. met with II more serious affair. lie
and my son were out at the end of the pier
trying for big cod Presently heard four
or five heavy blows, then yell, and nay son
came rushing into the office. Help, for
Gods sake, helpv he shouted; "huge eel has
severed P.'s wrist and he will bleed to
to death" started up, and in the doorway
stood my servant, as pale as Il sheet the
blood streaming from his wrist. SEEING the
ruler and some red tape, | made temporary
tournquet, poured half a tumbler of brandy
down his throat and carried him of to
chemist, who luckily lives close to me, and
is Il good surgeon, as all these men should be-
Here we sewcd up two frighttul gashes that
had severed some small arteries, Just missing
the main one of the pulse, and thus casing
the severe hemOrrhage. After the wound
was dressed and the bleeding stayed, we
learned the following account of the
accident: i. had hooked and hauled up
an eel, about four pounds weight Remem.
berng the fight of the previous night, he had
swung the brute round his mead, bringing
him down with thump on the boards; this
was the sound of blows | heard. The last
blow dislodgcd the hook, and then the crea.
ture sprang at him and seized him by the
wrist How he got him of he cannot tell,
TOR the pain was extreme and he was covered
with blood in second; but he remembered
dashlng IL down, and it slipped away between
the intersites OF the plankng. Il was a very
narrow escape with life There are several
kinds oil cells here IN the rock and stones un.
der the pier, and two in fresh water. These
fellows grow to a great size. have heard
one as thick as mans thigh. The sea eels
are sometimes very prettily notified with
brown. Lately was watching rush of
danifa from a big fish. II was low tide.
and many of the little fellows spranp ON
shore; escaping from one foe they became
the prey of another. AS they tumbled about
in the rocky little pools and between the in.
| terstices of the stones. half dozen notified
cells rushed at and seized ih,m; and here |
witnessed sight that never before suspect.
ed | saw an eel construct fish as a snake
does its prey, In It's convouuons, and, f1sien.
ing Its teeth in the iisb's head, it drew it
through the folds OF its coils and swallowed
liz.