The philosopher's fishing fleet was composed, as he laughingly said,
of a blue boat with blue sails, and a little Swedish whaler. Francois
went every evening about six o'clock to set the nets with the farmer's
eldest son, whose portrait Maurice intended doing for the following
Salon. All the little colony gathered at nine in the morning on the
beach, ready with baskets to bear away the catch.
Maurice, Jean and Esperance went out with the Professor to get the
nets. Sometimes they had been put far out and then Esperance would row
with the others, for which rough sport her delicate arms seemed out of
place. The young people would cry out with delight every time they saw
the fish under the transparent water held by the meshes. Sometimes
they had quite a big draught; two or three rays, several magnificent
soles, with mullets, and flounders. Sometimes a great lobster would
give the net such tweaks that they guessed his presence before they
saw him. And sometimes it happened that the catch was nothing but a
few sea crabs, who would half devour the other unfortunate fish
imprisoned with them. Another day a great octopus appeared, and
Esperance grew pale with fright at sight of his long clinging
tentacles.
Esperance often made a selection of the seaweeds in the net, and she
and Genevieve commenced an album in which they pasted, in fanciful
designs, these plants, fine as straws or solid and sharp of colour.
Pages:
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133