74 The North Country Angler. 



on them, and keep them in a bladder, and bait 

 and fish as in the day. These are the best ways 

 of angling at night; and when I have had a 

 companion and a bottle, and been cheerful, I 

 have often filled a large pannier with fine trouts. 



To this chapter I shall add, and not unseason- 

 ably, I hope, a method I used, when at Durham, 

 and in other places, which was this : 



When I had a mind to divert any Gentlemen, 

 that sometimes wpuld desire to bear me company 

 in a night's fishing, I contrived it so, that they 

 might eat and drink, and catch fish at the same 

 time. For which purpose, I pitched upon a 

 warm calm evening, and upon a pool where I 

 knew there was plenty of fish, and when the 

 river was a little flooded. There, we sometimes 

 had a tent, sometimes a good shade, and such 

 provisions of eatables and drinkables as we 

 chose to bring. My province was to prepare 

 all the materials for fishing I had eighteen or 

 twenty lines, which 1 put in at proper distances, 

 yet near one another ; my baits, worms or min- 

 nows. I set every man his post, and number of 

 lines to manage. 1 had half pound leads or 

 stones for the far end of every line, on which I 

 looped five or six snoods ; when I threw in a 

 line to its length, I put the near end into a 

 nick or cleft that 1 made in the top of a stick, 

 which 1 fastened in the bank side : to this stick 

 I looped a little hell, such as children have at 

 their bell-horses. The Gentlemen would be 

 often called to their posts, and forced to ground 

 their arms, till they had drawn out the line. 

 My task was the most troublesome, to take off 



