INTRODUCTORY. 25 



stretch what remains of their affections towards their 

 children's children. 



Of ourselves (we refer to. a period long after the 



extinction of the old Angling Club at C h) 



modesty requires us to say nothing. We could throw 

 a fly, it is true, with some address, and always 

 possessed the art of making our panier appear re- 

 spectable. Our abilities, however, sunk into insig- 

 nificance when brought into comparison with the 

 matured skill of our friend Jack Leister. No one 

 could command a line with less effort or better 

 effect. His flies dropped upon the water with most 

 exquisite gentleness. He had a mode of projecting 

 them, when angling below trees, which we never 

 saw practised by any one else. After describing a 

 quarter circle rapidly on either side of him, at a 

 yard's height from the ground, so that he kept free 

 from any intervention of the upper branches, he re- 

 covered his line in such a manner, that it proceeded 

 directly from his rod across the stream towards the 

 very spot which he intended it to traverse. We 

 could never thoroughly understand the principle upon 

 whicli this effect was obtained, no propelling force 

 being employed from behind. 



While angling for salmon also, Leister adopted 

 a method, which, without doubt, materially in- 

 creased the length of his cast. He had a custom 

 of drawing in a considerable portion of the line by 

 means of his hand, and allowing it to dart out 



