A PRODIGIOUS PIKE 161 



sportsman was astounded — the keeper was not ; for 

 the said awful animal was nothing more than a 

 large painted piece of wood, carved deftly by him- 

 self into the shape of a pike, painted according to 

 order, and stuck in the natural position by means 

 of a vertical prop, which could not be discovered 

 amongst the weeds. It was too bad, really a 

 great deal too bad ; but tolerably ingenious, and 

 beautifully deceptive. The gentleman approached 

 with tact and caution, and the eyes of the fish 

 glared upon him ; as well they might, for they were 

 very large and dazzling, being made of glass, and 

 originally designed to be inserted in a great horned 

 owl which the keeper had stuffed. 



" What a prodigious fish, John ! " 



" Very perdigious indeed, sir." 



" What eyes he has ! " 



"So he has, sir." 



" I'll try him with a roach. — There, — it went in 

 beautifully, and he did not move." 



" No, he won't take it nohow. Give him a frog ; 

 he seems a difficult fish." 



Piscator did tender him a very lively one in 

 vain ; in short, he offered him every bait he could 

 possibly think of, running through all the devices 

 and temptations he was master of. Cautious in his 

 approaches, that the supposed fish might not see 

 him, he always advanced to make his cast upon his 

 knees, to the no small merriment of his friends, 

 who were looking at him through a telescope from 

 the windows of the mansion. 



Well, thus he spent the whole morning ; waiting, 

 however, at times, for a cloud to intercept the sun- 



M 



