LETTER NO. I 



I COMMENCE MY EDUCATION AS A FLY- FISHER 



"Pise. And now you shall see me try my skill to 

 catch a trout. . . . 



" Ven. Trust me, master, I see now it is a harder 

 matter to catch a trout than a chub, for I have put on 

 patience and followed you these two hours and not seen 

 a fish stir." The Complete Angler. 



AM here to angle, not to write 

 letters about business. Though 

 old in years, I am a young, and, 

 therefore, most enthusiastic dis- 

 ciple of Master Izaak Walton. You will have 

 a faint idea of my enthusiasm when I tell you 

 that I started this morning in a steady down- 

 pour, at a little after eight, to commence 

 operations on the trout and the grayling of 

 "The Dove." 



I started equipped in the best style possible : 

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