| caption: |
fishing with hand-grenades |
| text: |
In the afternoon the subahdar and his Gurkhas decided to go fishing with a hand-grenade. All the porters streamed along behind them as well as a number of villagers and it was clear that there was to be a regular picnic. We therefore joined the crowd. We walked along the river bank through the high reeds and grasses until we came to a deep green pool at a bend in the river very like a dub in the Lake District. We all stood back while the Subahdar threw the grenade and it exploded with a dull thud, the water rising in a silver fountain. Then there was a rush to the river and everyone plunged in. Tiny fish floated to the surface almost immediately and were snatched up by small boys. But the larger fish seemed to lie on the bottom and were only brought up when the porters dived for them. There was one youth who stayed under water a full minute and came to the surface with two or three fish in his mouth and both hands full. |
