Chapter 1 Siegmarlingen Fishing Contest Saturday, August 5, 1876.That day, the small hotel with the golden signboard of the Fisherman's Covenant was full of noisy people.Singing, shouting, clinking glasses, applause, and cheers all merged into an ear-splitting noise.People shouted in unison from time to time, which is a unique habit of the German nation to express their joy to the extreme. The small hotel is located in a corner of the charming town of Zigmaringen, with the Danube right outside the window.Siegmaringen is the capital of the Prussian domain of Hohenzollen, very close to the source of this famous river in Central Europe.

The Danube Association is an international organization of fishermen on both sides of the river. Members are invited by the beautiful Gothic signboard on the lintel to gather here.No feast is complete without wine, so the members filled all tankards and wine glasses and drank delicious Munich beer and Hungarian wine.Everyone was still smoking their pipes, and the long pipes kept puffing out acrid smoke, which made the whole hall dark.However, although it is difficult for members to see each other through the smoke, voices can still be heard by each other, unless they are deaf. Fishermen with rods in hand are calm and silent when they are at work, but in fact, when they are not working, they are the most chattering bunch in the world.When talking about their illustrious military exploits, their excitement was comparable to that of the hunters.This statement is by no means false.

This sumptuous lunch is drawing to a close.The hundred or so guests sitting around the banquet were all fishermen, and all of them were crazy about hooks and buoys.After a morning's fishing, their throats must be thirsty, as can be seen by the number of wine bottles among the scraps.After the coffee, it was their turn to drink the various liqueurs, as they requested. When the clock struck three o'clock in the afternoon, the guests who were getting more and more drunk got up and left.To be honest, several people were so drunk that they had to be supported by others before they could take a step.However, the vast majority of people stood firm. They were tough and brave heroes, and they were used to this kind of grand banquet that lasted for a long time.As long as the Danube Association organizes a fishing contest, it will be accompanied by such a feast, so there are several times a year.

The great fishing contest after another is celebrated throughout the entire basin of this world-famous river.Incidentally, however, the Danube is yellow, not blue as portrayed in Strauss's famous waltz.Competitors for the contest came from all over the world, from the Principality of Baden, Württemberg, Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and even Bulgaria and the provinces inhabited by Turks in Pisaraia. This group has a history of five years, and it is thriving under the proper management of the chairman, the Hungarian Miclesko.The increasing number of funding sources enables the association to award considerable prize money in competitions.Several glorious medals shine on the flag of the association, which is the fruitful result of their fierce competition with other fishermen's organizations in the Danube River Basin.The members of the bureau of the association are well aware of the laws related to river fishing, which effectively supports all the struggles of its members against the state or against individuals, and persists in safeguarding their rights and privileges. This can be said to be a unique profession for fishermen Their indomitable spirit, just the instinct when they hold a fishing rod, can make them such a special race among human beings.

The contest just held was the second of the 1876 year.As soon as five o'clock struck in the morning, the contestants left the city and came to the left bank of the Danube, a little downstream from Siegmaringen.They wore the uniform uniform required by the association: short shorts for easy movement, trousers tucked into thick-soled leather boots, and white hats with large brims.Of course, they brought with them the full range of fishing gear listed in the Fisherman's Guide: walking sticks, rods, small net bags, lines in spotted deer leather holsters, buoys, depth finders, cast in lead Hangers for sinking lines, fly baits, fine silk lines, Florentine horsetail lines.Fishing is free, that is to say, each fisherman can choose where to bait, and no matter what fish is caught, it counts.

At six o'clock, the ninety-seven players took their positions, holding the fishing line in their hands, and ready to throw it out.A trumpet sounded to signal the start of the game and ninety-seven lines were cast across the water in the same arc. There are several prizes in the competition, among which there are two first prizes, with a bonus of 100 dong, which are awarded to the fisherman who catches the most fish and the fisherman who catches the heaviest fish respectively. There were no accidents during the whole race until the second horn sounded at five minutes to eleven, announcing the end of the race.Each result is then handed over to a jury consisting of Danube Society President Miclesko and four other Society members.These authorities ruled impartially so as to avoid any dissent.As excitable as it is in this unique society of anglers, there is no detail in the award judging that would cause them to doubt for a moment.However, to wait until the result of the game is announced, you have to show some patience.The list of winners at all levels for weight or quantity events will not be disclosed until the moment when the prizes are awarded, and before the prizes are distributed, there will be a grand feast where all competitors sit around the table like brothers, Drink to your heart's content.

The time to accept the award finally came.All the players, needless to say, those who came from Zigmaringen to see the excitement, sat comfortably in front of the stands and waited.The chairman and the rest of the jury sit in the stands. Indeed, there would be no shortage of seats, benches, or poufs, nor tables, and as for the beer mugs, decanters for all kinds of drinks, and glasses large and small; . All were seated and their pipes smoking more and more; the Chairman rose to his feet. Listen up everyone!listen!From every corner came the same cry. Mr Miclesco was the first to take a gulp of the frothy beer, the tiny bubbles hanging like pearls from the tip of his beard.

Dear colleagues, he said in German, because although the members of the Danube Society come from different countries, everyone understands German.You don't think I'm going to give a speech in the traditional format, with a quote, an opening, and a conclusion.No, we're not here to indulge in gobbledygook.I'm here just to talk about some of our trifles, to chat with you as good colleagues, even brothers, if you think that's appropriate for an international gathering. Although the speaker himself claimed that he did not want to make a long speech, these two sentences still seemed a bit lengthy like the usual sentences in the opening remarks of all speeches.Nonetheless, the Chairman's speech was greeted with applause.There's a lot in it that's great!Very good!Applause, and huh!hehe!shouts, and even the sound of belching.Then, to justify his words to the chairman who raised the glass, all the glasses were filled and raised.

Mr. Miclesco continued his speech, and he ranked the fisherman as the best of men.He spoke highly of the talents and virtues that generous nature bestowed on the fisherman, and he praised the patience, tact, coolness, and wisdom which he must possess in order to succeed in the art.For fishing is not so much a profession as an art, and, in M. Miclesko's opinion, this art is far superior to the so-called greatness of hunting that hunters boast so absurdly to themselves. Is it possible to compare hunting with fishing?he shouted. cannot!cannot!The participants answered in unison. What's the big deal about killing a chick or a hare?You've seen him at the right range, and a hound to help us with the dog?The hounds scout out that game for you, and you spot it from afar, take aim at it without haste, and corner it with countless buckshots, most of which are pure waste!As for the fish, on the contrary, you can't detect its whereabouts. It hides under the water, so you must operate deftly, lure it skillfully, and use your mind to make it bite your hook and then hook it. Mouth, lifted out of the water.Sometimes it was motionless at the end of the line, and sometimes it was alive and kicking, as if it too was applauding the fisherman's victory!

This time, the audience cheered thunderously.Undoubtedly, Chairman Miclesko's speech was too catering to the members of the Danube Association.He knows that he must never praise his colleagues endlessly, but he is never afraid of being told that he is exaggerating.Therefore, he did not hesitate to put the noble activities of fishermen above all activities, praised the pious believers of fishing, and even talked about the beautiful goddess who presided over the fishing contest in the fishing ceremony of ancient Rome. . Do you understand these words?Probably got it, for the words set the crowd into a frantic stamping of feet.

So he changed his breath, drank a glass of beer with snow-like foam again, and then continued: Finally, let us raise our glasses to celebrate the growing prosperity of our association, attracting new members every year, and celebrating its reputation throughout Central Europe.I don't need to say more about the achievements of the association. This is obvious to all, and you also have your own credit for it.It is a great honor to participate in this competition!The German press, the Czech press, and the Romanian press have never been stingy about using their precious words of praise for our association, and they are, I might add, appropriate.Please agree with me, drink this wine with me, and cheer for the journalists who care about the international cause of the Danube Association! Everyone, of course, agreed with Chairman Miclesko's proposal, and all the wine in the bottle was poured into the glass, and all the wine in the glass was poured into the throat, just like the water from the Danube and its tributaries into the sea. . Although the chairman's speech ended after drinking the last glass of wine, it was obvious that taking this opportunity, he would drink a lot of wine! Sure enough, the chairman stood up again, and the secretary and treasurer beside him also stood up.Each held a glass of champagne in their right hand and pressed their left to their heart. I drink to the Danube Society, Miclesko said, looking around at everyone present. Everyone stood up, raising their glasses to their lips.Some people stood on the stools, others stood on the table, and they accepted Mr. Miclesco's toast in unison. The chairman became more and more addicted to alcohol, and drank one after another, emptying the countless wine bottles that were placed in front of himself and his assistants.At this time, he said again: To the peoples, to the Badens, Württembergers, Bavarians, Austrians, Hungarians, Serbs, Varakis, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Pisarabians!How closely connected are the Danube Society with them! Then the Pisarabians, the Bulgarians, the Hungarians, the Austrians, the Bavarians, the Württembergers, and the Badens all thanked him as one and drank their glasses upside down. Finally, the chairman concluded by declaring a toast to the health of every member of the association.It's a pity that the total number of members has reached 473 people, so he can only have a drink for all his colleagues! People go on and on!Hehe cheered to respond to the chairman's kindness, and shouted until he was hoarse. In this way, the second program of the conference will be concluded, the first program will be the previous feast, and the third will be the announcement of the winners. Everyone waited anxiously, which was only natural because, as mentioned, the jury is strictly confidential.But the moment of revelation has finally arrived. Chairman Miclesco is responsible for announcing the official list of winners of the two competitions. According to the regulations of the competition, the list of final prize winners will be announced first, and the gold list will be announced in this order, which can make the audience more and more interested. After hearing the names of the final prize winners in the fishing quantity competition, they walked to the rostrum one by one.The chairman embraced them, and gave them a certificate of merit, as well as a bonus of a comparable amount. The nets contained all fish that any fisherman could have caught in the waters of the Danube: spinyfin, abalone, flounder, perch, winter anchovies, bamboo sticks, minnows, and so on.The winners who did not rank were the Wallakis, the Hungarians, the Badens and the Württembergers. The second prize went to a German named Weber, who caught a total of seventy-seven fish, which was widely applauded.Weber is actually well known to everyone.In the past few competitions, he has repeatedly ranked among the best. This time, most people guess that he will be the champion of the quantity event. However, he failed to take the crown.There were only seventy-seven fish in his net pocket.After counting and counting, there are only seventy-seven.And the other competitor had better luck, if not more skill, for he had a total of ninety-nine fish in his net pocket. The name of this fishing master was finally announced, his name is Elijah.Brush, Hungarian. The amazement of the participants made them forget to applaud.Because the name of the Hungarian I heard just now is too unfamiliar to everyone, he has only recently joined the Danube Association. The winner may not have expected to receive a prize of 100 guilders in front of the rostrum, so Chairman Miclesko took the time to announce the list of winners in the weight event.The winners were Romanians, Slavs, and Austrians.When the name of the second prize winner was announced, everyone applauded and congratulated, just like congratulating Mr. Weber from Germany just now.Second prize went to Mr. Iftozar, one of the assistants to the chairman, who caught a three-and-a-half-pound minnow.The fish must have escaped from another fisherman who was less skilful or calm.The winner was one of the most enthusiastic and loyal old members of the association, and he received the most awards during this period.Therefore, everyone cheered him unanimously. Now only the first prize of the project was left to be awarded, and everyone's hearts were pounding nervously, waiting for the chairman to read the winner's name. When Chairman Miclesko announced his name, the participants were so surprised. That's all, it seemed that the entire venue froze.The chairman spit out this sentence in an uncontrollable trembling voice: The winner of the first prize in the weight event, who caught a seventeen-pound bamboo stick fish, is Hungarian, Ilya.Brush! The audience was silent.Hands ready to applaud stopped in the air, mouths ready to cheer the winner closed.A strong curiosity made everyone look at each other in blank dismay. Elijah.Why isn't Bush showing up yet?Will he go to receive the two certificates and the two hundred guilders prize from Chairman Miclesko? Suddenly, a burst of whispering whispered across the venue. A person who had been sitting on the side stood up and walked towards the rostrum. He is Hungarian, Ilya.brush. Looking at his clean-shaven face and thick black hair, it is estimated that he is less than thirty years old.With a tall figure, broad shoulders, and straight legs, it seems that his strength must be extraordinary.It was indeed a wonder to all that a young man of such stature and vivaciousness should devote himself to the quiet pastime of fishing, and attain such mastery of a difficult art.The result of this competition is irrefutable proof of his superb skills. Oddly enough, Elijah.Brush's eyes are more or less faulty: he wears a pair of large dark glasses on the bridge of his nose, making it impossible to discern the color of his eyes.Moreover, for a person who must concentrate on the subtle movements of the buoy, vision is the most precious of the five senses. If you want to see through the fish's tricks, you must have a pair of perceptive eyes. Having said that, whether you are surprised or not, you can only accept this fact.The impartiality of the jury is unquestionable.Elijah.Brush was the winner of the contest, he fit all the bills, and never in the memory of the members has he achieved such impressive results.Therefore, the atmosphere of the conference finally turned from cold to warm. When the winner received the certificate and bonus from Chairman Miclesko, there was quite loud applause and salute to him. After receiving the prize, Brush did not step off the rostrum, but had a short conversation with the chairman, and then turned to face the bewildered attendees.He made a gesture and asked everyone to be quiet.So as if by magic, the venue was suddenly silent. Gentlemen, dear colleagues, said Brush, I would like to ask permission to say a few words, and our chairman is very kind to grant me the opportunity. The hall was full of people just now, but now even a fly could be heard clearly.His speech is not on the agenda of the conference. What exactly will he talk about? First of all, I would like to thank everyone, Brush continued, thank you for your applause and encouragement, but I ask you to believe that I will never be arrogant because of this, and the two awards I just received are not well-deserved.I know very well that only an old member of the talented Danube Association will be the most worthy of this laurel.Now that I have won this honor, it is not my own merit, but the favoritism of luck. This opening speech is humble and sincere, and the audience appreciates it very much. It's great, it's great!The compliments floated gently across the venue. This good luck has yet to be verified by me.To this end I devised a plan, which I believed would be of interest to this society of eminent fishermen. Dear colleagues, you may not be unaware that the current fashion is to rearrange records.Why don't we follow the example of champions in other sports, which have repeatedly set records in even less noble sports than fishing, why wouldn't we want to set a record for fishing? The cheers of the audience were deafening, only to hear ah!OK!why not?Each member applauds in their own way. When the idea, the speaker went on, first popped into my mind, I grabbed it immediately.And, I immediately understood the conditions under which my idea could become a reality.In addition, since I am an honorable member of the Danube Association, this makes the problem much easier.As a member of the Danube Association, I can only turn to the Danube for a satisfactory answer to this move.I therefore intend to drift down our fair rivers, from their sources to the Black Sea, and to subsist entirely on my fishing during this voyage of three thousand kilometers. Today's good fortune has increased my desire to make this trip, and if it works, I can assure you that it will bring glory to all of you.Therefore, I now announce to you that I am scheduled to leave next Thursday, August 10th, and I implore you to come to the source of the Danube, where we will meet. It will be easier, perhaps, than to describe, the reader, to imagine the public excitement aroused by this unexpected speech.The stormy hecks and crazy applause lasted for a full five minutes. But such a sudden event would not end there, as Mr. Miclesko knew by heart.As always, he has not forgotten to fulfill his chairmanship.He stood up again from the middle of the two assistants, the movement seemed a little more violent. For our colleague Elijah.Cheers Brush!He spoke excitedly, raising a glass of champagne. For our colleague Elijah.Cheers Brush!All the assembly answered in unison, and the voices resounded through the sky, but then fell into silence again, for it is a very regrettable defect of human beings, that is, they cannot talk and drink at the same time. But the silence was short-lived.The fine wine quickly moistened their already tired throats, and in this way, they toasted countless times and cheered countless times, until August 5, 1876, when the famous Danube Association Zigmaringen Fishing Contest was held in the carnival Closing.