552 ST. MARTIN'S EVE. 



with a light breeze curling- the pools, as those parts of the Shannon 

 are called where the waters are unbroken by rocks or falls. The 

 apprehensions I had been under when I first entered the boat began 

 gradually to subside, and as the confidence I felt in the skill and dex- 

 terity of our Palinurus increased, I abandoned myself to the full enjoy- 

 ment of the splendid scenery by which we were surrounded. Every 

 moment brought to view some noble feature in the landscape which 

 had been hidden before, rich vales, and dark green woods sloping 

 down to the water's edge ; and while our hardy guide, standing in 

 the fore part of the boat, poled it upward against the stream, now 

 forcing his little bark through the full current of a miniature fall, now 

 gliding into the still waters of some favourite eddy where fish were 

 likely to be found, he retailed to us in a vein of rich drollery, innu- 

 merable anecdotes of the gentry to whom he had acted as fishing 

 pilot on various occasions, interspersed with legends of every rock, 

 bank, and point of land, as we passed them. 



" This," said he, as he pushed his boat into a deep pool, whose 

 waters slept in undisturbed tranquillity, " this, gentlemen, is the 

 haunt of ould Sylvesther." 



"Sylvester! who is old Sylvester?" 



" Sure then it can't be that your honour is come to this time of 

 day without knowing all about ould Sylvesther." 



We assured him of our perfect ignorance, and begged him to tell 

 us all he knew about him. 



" Then it's myself will do that same, gentlemen, jist keep casting 

 the fly there towards that little ripple hard by the rock that's it, Sir 

 now you have it in troth then your honour throws a mighty purty 

 line antirely for a gintleman. Howsomdever, as I was saying, ould Syl- 

 vesther is a great big salmon, and it 's beyant all knowledge how 

 long he has kept in these parts, the best fisherman upon the Shan- 

 non is'nt aiqual to him at all, in the regard that he breaks the finest 

 tackling like borrogh* and makes no more of a saysoned ash-rod nor 

 I would of a trawneen.\ Many's the one of the quality comes down 

 from Limerick, aye and from Dublin itself, to try a hate with Syl- 

 vesther ; but I'll go bail, he bothers them all, and sends them away 

 with what the Connaughtman brought down when he shot at the 

 moon. They all has the same story that they had Sylvesther hooked, 

 only he broke away," with maybe ten yards of their best line along 

 with him. Ha! ha! ha! That Sylvesther is the gallis quare fish." 

 " But does this often happen?" I asked. 



"Troth does it, Sir! it's only a week agone now, Sir, that a 

 dacent ould gintleman came down here with a bran new line and 

 rod to try his luck with Sylvesther ; and maybe it 's the boys that 

 didn't make a holy show of him." 

 "The boys! whom do you mean?" 



" Oh ! some of the schemers that hires out themselves and theirboats 

 like me only it's not alike they are in civility and behaviour to 

 the quality; for Sir, when they got the gintleman's hook fast in an 



* The refuse of the flax tow. t A slender stalk of grass. 



