246 DUCK -SHOOTING. 
mirably, while a blue vest, a white flannel coat, red 
neck-tie and crimson cap, combined all the colors 
that were least likely to alarm the fish. 
“The other anglers collected at the hotel kindly 
aided me with their advice, for which I was truly 
grateful. They rigged out my leader with flies, 
and convincingly proving that the more flies used 
the more fish must be taken, fastened on thirteen. 
Conroy had hardly served me fairly in selecting my 
assortment, for they were pronounced by all not to 
be half large or bright enough. It was clear that the 
larger the fly the easier the fish could see it, and the 
more surely it would catch; so they loaned me a 
number, principally yellow, green, and blue, which 
was the more generous of them, as they had but few 
of the same sort themselves. 
“They impressed upon me to be up early, because 
trout will not bite after sunrise—besides, I knew 
from the proverb that worms were more easily ob- 
tained early; and it was still dark when, having 
passed a restless few hours, I awoke and dressed. 
The house was silent, not a person to interfere with 
me, and having set up my rod the night before, I 
crept cautiously down stairs. The tip would slash 
about and knock at the doors and on the walls as I 
passed, and gave me great trouble in turning the 
corners of the stairs, but I reached the hall door 
safely and stepped out upon the piazza. 
“JT had hardly congratulated myself, when, hear- 
ing a suspicious growl, and recollecting that the 
tavern-keeper had a cress mastiff, I turned, and saw 
