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XXXII
ROBINSON AS FISHERMAN
Robinson was now eager to use his fire and cooking vessels. He had
noticed with hungry eyes fine large fish in the creek near his cave.
But he had never taken the trouble to catch any. "What is the use?"
he thought. "I cannot eat them raw." It was different now and he began
to devise ways of making a catch. How he longed for a fish-hook, such
as he had so often used when loitering along the Hudson River! "But
a fish-hook is not to be thought of," he said to himself, "unless I
can make one of bone." He went down to the brook and searched long
for a fish-bone that he might make use of for this purpose. He found
nothing.
"I must try something else," he thought. He remembered the nets he
used to see along the Hudson and wondered if he could not make a small
one to pull through the water and thus catch the fish.
He had now a better source of fibre for weaving and for spinning into
lines and ropes. He had discovered this when he was trying to find
a good strong thread or yarn with which to bind the coils of his
grass-made baskets together. He obtained fibre in great abundance from
the century-like plant. He found if he broke off the long leaves of
this plant and allowed them to decay there remained a long, tough
fibrous substance out of which strong cords could be twisted or yarn
made for weaving a coarse cloth or netting.
Out of this he spun yarn thread to make a net about three or four feet
by two feet. He fastened cords to four corners of this, tied them to
a long pole, and was now prepared to test his plan for catching fish.
The brook he found was too shallow for him to catch fish in this way.
At the sight of him and his net, they scurried away to deep water.
Neither could he succeed in the shallow water along the shore. "I must
wade out as far as I can," he said to himself, "and draw the net
through the water."
As he did this he was surprised at the many forms of sea life, new
to him, that he saw. He, however, was careful and watchful. He walked
along near the shore to a point where some, rocks showed above the
surface. As he looked ahead he saw the single eye of a giant
cuttle-fish glaring at him from among the rocks. It was thrusting out
its long arms towards him. He drew back quickly, but as he did so he
was terrified to hear the snap of some huge creature's jaws near him.
A great shark had seen him and had thrown himself on his back to seize
him in his rows of sharp teeth, but was prevented reaching him by the
shallowness of the water.
Robinson was too much terrified to continue longer his attempt at
fishing. He went back to his cave with only a few small ones, not
worth the trouble of dressing for his dinner.
The next day undismayed he tried again. He succeeded in drawing in
some very beautiful large fish. Their sides shone as burnished gold
and silver. "Now," he thought, "I will have a feast." He carried them
home, carefully cleaned and dressed them, seasoned them with his salt,
and broiled them over his fire. Imagine his disappointment when they
proved unfit to eat. Their flesh was coarse and tough and ill-tasting.
He saw that the catching of fish for his table was a more difficult
thing than he thought it. He must not only catch fish, but catch ones
that could be eaten. He could only tell the good from the bad by
trying them.
He was more fortunate in his next venture. He was going along the
shore at the mouth of the creek which ran near his cave when he
noticed a group of fishes, dark bluish above with silvery sides. The
largest of them were about two feet long. They were feeding on the
bottom in the brackish water at the mouth of the creek, which at its
mouth opened out into quite a little bay or inlet. They would take
up a mouthful of earth from the bottom and let it wash through their
mouths, keeping all the bits of food that happened to be in it. When
one fish got a good place to feed the others swam around it and tried
to get some of the food.
Robinson watched his chance and slipped his net under a group, while
each one was busy trying to get the best mouthful of mud. He drew up
three quite large fish, but just as he was about to lift them from
the water, one of the cords which bound the net to the poles broke
and he saw his catch fall back into the creek and dart away in the
deepest water. But Robinson was not to be discouraged. He soon mended
his net and at last was successful. In a short time he drew out another
catch of two fish.
These proved excellent food and were so abundant as to furnish
Robinson with all the fish he wanted as long as he stayed on the
island.
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Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
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