nbroken as glass through troops of cormorants
and wild geese, which were disporting on the surface of the expanse, and
which, half running, half flying, made a free passage for us as we
advanced, we reached the place where the nets lay. At intervals we saw
pieces of wood floating on the water, to which the nets were attached
which rested at the bottom. When we drew them up we saw the fish glitter
as they struggled in the meshes. These fish were generally large, but
the fisherman only kept the largest; those that were under half a pound
he threw back into the water.

After having examined a few of the nets, he stopped to see if the haul
had been productive. Already the two wells, constructed at the
extremities of the boat, were nearly full. "Sirs Lamas," said the
fisherman, "do you eat fish? I will sell you some if you please." At
this proposition, the two poor French missionaries looked at each other
without saying a word. In that look you might see that they were by no
means averse from trying the flavour of the fish of the Yellow River, but
that they dared not, a sufficient reason keeping them in suspense. "How
do you sell your fish?" "Not dear; eighty sapeks a pound." "Eighty
sapeks! why that is dearer than mutton." "You speak the words of truth;
but what is mutton compared with the fish of the Hoang-Ho?" "No matter;
it is too dear for us. We have still far to go; our purse is low, we
must economize." The fisherman did not insist; he took his oar, and
directed the boat towards those nets which had not yet been drawn up from
the water. "For what reason," asked we "do you throw back so much fish?
Is it because the quality is inferior?" "Oh, no; all the fish in the
Yellow River are excellent, these are too small, that is all." "Ah, just
so; next year they will be bigger. It is a matter of calculation; you
refrain now, so that in the end you may get more by them." The fisherman
laughed. "It is not that," he said; "we do not hope to re-capture these
fish. Every year the basin is filled with fresh fish, brought hither by
the overflowings of the Hoang-Ho; there come great and small; we take the
first; and the others we throw back, because they do not sell well. The
fish here are very abundant. We are able to select the best . . . .
Sirs Lamas, if you like to have these little fish, I will not throw them
back." The offer was accepted, and the small fry, as they came, were
placed in a little basket. W