THE MICROBE 



tin I had borrowed, from one o£ the ladies and used to 

 carry slung on a strap in lieu of a creel. On the next 

 day, I see by the before-mentioned journal, I got 

 nearly as good a basket close to the outlet of the lake. 

 A black palmer and a red-upright (red quill) being 

 recorded as the effective lures on both occasions. I 

 should have assuredly remembered the first item 

 without the assistance of the journal if only for an 

 amusing scene that occurred in the salle a manger of 

 the little inn where we were staying. The success of 

 these two days had greatly impressed our waiter, a 

 tall, sad-looking man, who apparently in his leisure 

 hours — otherwise those of the night — was an ardent 

 wielder of the bamboo and grasshopper. He ex- 

 hibited great amazement and curiosity at the fragile 

 and diminutive nature of our artificial flies. So I 

 presented him with a few black palmers, upon which 

 he fell on his knees upon the bare floor, and clasping 

 my two hands between his own, poured out a torrent 

 of gratitude before the rest of the party, who were 

 greatly impressed. He went out, so he told us the 

 next morning, and fished all night on the strength of 

 it, but alas ! caught nothing, as might, perhaps, poor 

 fellow, be expected under the circumstances. 



I never shall forget, however, one tragic incident 

 that happened a few days after this, and though it had 

 nothing to do with fishing, it had everything to do 

 with a mountain stream. I cannot recall the name 

 of the place or the precise locality, never having been 

 in Switzerland since. But I think it occurred during 

 a few days in the Austrian Tyrol. I remember we 

 journeyed for hours in berg-wagons, by rough tracks 



41 



