BABIES. BAIT VS. PLY. 147 



lows by the shores, where fair sized trout were huntinir for 

 minnows, or fish with bait off rocky points; and, saddest 

 confession of all, the fly cast in the ^ood orthodox way was 

 almost useless anywhere except down the river upon the 

 rapids. There one miu'ht have sport, such as it was, with 

 the little fellows, and take trout in numbers to his satisl'ac 

 tion. The scales, however, brought mortification and 

 regret. The wicked Herod himself would have shed tears 

 to See \\hat a heap of dead h;ibie< one afternoon's slaughter 



produced. 



But a half loaf is better than none; and I maintain that a 

 fisherman, who sulks in his tent. like that graceless and 

 obstinate hero. Achilles, because he can'l take trout with a 

 fly while lie can with bait, is, to say the least, more nice 

 than \\ i<e. The most ardent fisherman whom it i< my 

 .ii-ooil fortune to know, the victor in manv a content ,,f skill 

 with the bamboo, the \ciierahle and pMiial Reuben, who 

 fondle- a favorite fly. frayed and raided from the liuhl 

 with a (ML; trout, as a father fondles Ins first baby, even 

 Ueiihen. wlien he must do it. yields flies, leader, slender 

 rod and all. and takes a " bait i>ole." After him, let no 

 common fisherman lift his nasal orpin sky ward and snill, 

 if fisherman's luck brings him to the woods at a time 

 " between hay and ^r.-iss." and only bail takes the tisli. 



\\'ithout describing the spirit in wliich we did it, it is 

 sufficient tosay that in this ease we accepted the inevitable. 

 and after a fair trial confined ourselves in the main to still 

 bait fishing and trolling with the rod. It would atl'ord me 

 peculiar satisfaction, as a historian, to record triumphs 



