"IN HIM!" 95 



whose fireman's soul was all on fire ; " but Higgin- 

 botham of the Strand, who was such an artist in the 

 rod line as never appeared before, or has ever been 

 seen since. " He never joyed since the price of 

 hiccory wood rose," and was soon after gathered to 

 the tomb of his fathers. I look upon him, and 

 old Kirby the quondam maker of hooks, to be 

 two of the greatest men the world ever saw ; not 

 even excepting Eustace Ude, or Michael Angelo 

 Bonarotti. 



But to business. The rod was hastily put 

 together ; a beautiful new azure line passed through 

 the rings ; a casting line, made like the waist of 

 Prior's Emma, appended, with two trout flies 

 attached to it of the manufacture even of me, 

 Harry Otter. An eager throw to begin with : 

 round came the flies intact. Three, four, five, six 

 throws — a dozen : no better result. The fish were 

 stern and contemptuous. At length some favour- 

 able change took place in the clouds, or atmosphere, 

 and I caught sundry small trout ; and finally, in the 

 cheek of a boiler, I fairly hauled out a two-pounder. 

 A jewel of a fish he was — quite a treasure all over. 

 After I had performed the satisfactory office of 

 bagging him, I came to a part of the river which, 

 being contracted, rushed forward in a heap, roll- 

 ing with great impetuosity. Here, after a little 

 flogging, I hooked a lusty fellow, strong as an 

 elephant, and swift as a thunderbolt. How I was 

 agitated say ye who best can tell, ye fellow tyros ! 

 Every moment did I expect my trout tackle, for 

 such it was, to part company. At length, after 

 various runs of dubious result, the caitiff began to 



