72 Bass, Pike, and Percb 



a float, or " cork," or " bob," as the boys have it. 

 And among us " old boys " there is a certain 

 undefined feeling, it may be a reminiscent affec- 

 tion, connected with the float, much the same as 

 that with which we regard the powder-flask and 

 shot-pouch of the days of yore. And I am not 

 sure but that the old things and old ways were 

 best, or at least more enjoyable. One can heartily 

 agree with Alonzo of Aragon in his preferences 

 for old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old 

 friends to trust, and old authors to read. 



What old angler does not remember the eager- 

 ness and expectancy with which he watched the 

 "cork " in days gone by ? How well he knew and 

 understood every motion of it, responsive to the 

 nibbling " sunny " : first a gende spinning, then 

 a preliminary bobble, then a premonitory start 

 away an inch or two, and then — O joy ! — its 

 swift and sudden disappearance beneath the sur- 

 face. The lapse of time cannot wither nor 

 modern custom stale the pleasures of youthful 

 fishing. To be sure, it was not all piscatorial 

 cakes and ale ; there were a few thorns with the 

 roses; there were the bruised fingers and toes, 

 the wet and torn clothes, and the impending 

 and dreaded " dressing down " when home was 



