COOLIES AND FISHING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4410, 4 February 1930, Page 4

COOLIES AND FISHING.

A feature always noticed at the port when a ship carrying a foreign ,crew is moored, is the keenness of the coolies in fishing activities. The vessel is no sooner tied up than over go the fishing lines and whenever one of (lie dusky race secure a 1 larger specimen of the finny tribe, an excited chattering ensues. Two incidents that occurred during the recent visit of the Indian trader, Narbada, are worth relating, re- , marks the Bluff correspondent of the “Southland News.” In one case a Hindoo had his line through a hole in the wharf, he got a bite and his excited actions quickly brought his compatriots to the spot. He had a fish right enough, but it was far too large to come through the hole. Then began a scene that heartily amused the spectators. Every cooljie was chattering at the same time, .and many brown hands ineffectively tried to eoax the fish through the aperture. The last seen of the episode was a lone, and sorrowful figure, squatting upon his haunches and gazing regretfully at .the prize which was “so near and yet so far.” The other case was where a coolie left his fishing line dangling over the wharf while he visited a fellow fisherman. A small Bluff boy, who had a catch of fi've red cod, quickly hauled up his line, securely fastened his bundle of fish to a hook and then awaited developments. Gunda Singh, upon his return, hauled in. his line and when lie saw his record catch there was another jamboree among the excitable Asiatics. It is at times like this that, one regrets the lack of lingn is tic know! e dge.