OF A SALMON. 53 



above once in three -quarters of an hour; and 

 often throw their nets from daylight till sunset, 

 and never see a fish. But, then, that is because 

 the fish are not so plentiful as they ought to be ; 

 and can you wonder ? You will not find a 

 hundred yards of the river, in your seven miles 

 walk this morning, that is not drawn once, some- 

 times more than once, every tide. In fact, these 

 nets sweep the whole course of the river, from 

 Connah's Quay up to Chester; and fortunate 

 will pur friend Salmo be if he escapes them all. 



"Do these men never fish with illegal nets ? " 



" Well, Buckley, the river constable, says they 

 do, when they are sure there is nq one on the look 

 out : but he, they say, is a very prejudiced 

 person ; and not at all to be trusted. After all, 

 they are a very hardy, industrious set of men ; 

 sadly wanting in prudence, living jovially when 

 the take is good, and starving under a reverse." 



" So now, friend sceptic who, some few pages 

 back, was unwilling to allow any sporting salmon 

 making more than a sporting leap of Chester 

 Causeway do you still dispute the wonder that 

 a salmon ever does jump it; in fact, that he ever 

 gets there to try?" 



" But, stop ; he is not quite there yet. Here he 

 comes though!" 



It is scarce twelve hours since he left Daw- 



