DAYS IN DOVE DALE 23 



"Well," said he, " I was surprised to see you 

 up there ! " 



There v/as just a little something in his 

 tone not quite intelligible to me ; whether it 

 meant sarcasm at my folly or admiration of my 

 manly performance, I was uncertain. 



" How on earth did you get on top of that 

 hill?" he added ; and when I told him I had 

 got there through the Giant's Cave, he only 

 said, " I wouldn't 'a' done it for something ! " 



After this he waded across the stream, and 

 we became quite friendly-like and confidential. 

 He remarked that the river was in capital order, 

 just a little discoloured, and the trout were 

 rising famously. 



" It's a curious thing," he said, " but I have 

 often noticed, and other people have said the 

 same, that fish do rise better on Sundays 

 than on any other days. I suppose they 

 get to know that people don't fish on Sun- 

 days." 



This reminds me of what Master Izaak 

 Walton tells us on the authority of Josephus, 

 " that learned Jew," that there is a river in 

 Judea, "that runs swiftly all the six days 

 of the week, and " (reversing the conduct 



