46 Alout Several Men ivlio went a- Angling. 



young ladies who land big salmon every autumn in or aljout 

 the Gordon-Richmond estates in Scotland), how much jollier 

 it is to see the monarch of the stream on the grass than to 

 *' rink" at Prince's, or to be carried round Belgravian draw- 

 ing-rooms, half dead and quite knocked up, in the mazy 

 waltz. Kot that Prince's is a bad place by any means, nor 

 ballrooms either. 



Now, is not this a romantic opening ? I am going to 

 talk about cockney fishing twenty years ago from this date. 



Dramatis personce. Myself No. 1 : An overworked 

 official in those days ; and I only wish my friend *' the 

 working man" could be induced to do w^hat I did then at my 

 pay, and would put his soul into it as I did, at the risk of 

 heart and brams. 



No. 2. A poor Clerkenwell w^atchmaker, accompanied by 

 a sickly-looking little boy on a crutch and a kitten in a 

 basket. The poor little fellow loved the fresh air much, 

 but he loved his kitten more. 



No. 3. Three jolly young farmers vrho took it into 

 their heads to study the gentle art. 



No. 4. A sour, bumptious fellow, who knew every art 

 of livebait fishing for jack, which only means " ledgei-ing," 

 with a detective to w^atch the float and to haul it in when 

 the jack has gorged the bait, after ten minutes. These 

 coves are not within the pale of the " Fishing Church." 



Twenty years ago w'ork was harder, and no Saturday 

 half-holiday existed, and those who worked with their 

 brains had to work a fair six days, from nine o'clock till 

 six or seven, and very often till two or three in the morning, 

 Saturdays included ; and many, like myself, who had been 

 born and bred in the country, and knew and loved most 

 sports, would be as pleased, for want of better spoi't, to cut 

 out a mouse on a hillside, or catch minnows or gudgeons, 

 than do nothing. Hence it occurred to me that it was 



