

OF A SALMON. 49 



cast a net in the fence months, " no ! not if 

 they was go to the workhouse first ! " 



You may believe all, or one half, or one 

 quarter of all that, if you like ; but seeing 

 that after many years' deliberation, the Legisla- 

 ture, from the days of the Edwards, has thought 

 these stake nets so destructive as to justify more 

 stringent measures against them, with a view to 

 prevent the breed of salmon from being entirely 

 destroyed, and has since seen no cause to change 

 its opinion ; seeing, also, that a salmon is not likely 

 to escape a net simply because its meshes are 

 illegal ; and that once taken, dead fish tell no 

 tales, (at least not often) we must come, I think, 

 to the conclusion, that salmon are taken by 

 these stake nets, and when taken, fetch as high 

 a price in the market as unsmuggled fish do. 



" Then why are they allowed to continue? are 

 not the laws strong enough ? " 



" Oh, abundantly strong enough, if they were 

 put in force ; but, as in everything else, what is 

 everybody's business is nobody's business, and 

 so they have never or rarely been acted up to. 

 Let us hope they may ; for to tell you the truth 

 I consider our friend's chance a poor one of 

 running that gauntlet of stake nets harmless; 

 and if he has fifty fellow companions with him 

 in Dawpool to-night we may wait a long day 



