- Trouting. 63 



a very shrewd, smart fellow, whose name stands high in speculative circles, 

 told it me the other day in the train. He was at some race meeting, when 

 one of the rigging fraternity came running out of a tent to him. " Look 

 here ! You know the horse that won the Chester Cup in such a year ?" 

 " Yes, certainly." — "And who rode him ?"^ — "Well, I think I ought to." 

 " Well, now, here's a chap in here who'll bet a tenner on it. We can't 

 make up a tenner among us. Come in and land him." George was by 

 no means the sort of man to be had in that way, and no one would have 

 thought it for a moment. "Look here," he said; "what the deuce made 

 you pick me out for such a game as this ?" — " Pick be — ! We don't pick 

 'em here — we take 'em as they come. 'Old hard ; there's a cove there 

 as '11 bite for a dollar," and he scooted. 



But to our fishing. I next walk up and try for a big 'un under the 

 spreading tree at the top of the stream. Twice he peeps, and the third 

 time he takes, and a nice job I have with him, the boughs being close 

 down on one part; and this the fish affects, of course, for he seems to 

 know all about it ; and do what I can he sticks my line in one of these 

 pendent twigs in spite of me and leaves me — wild. 



Then I go on to Crayon, who has also taken his brace, and lost — 

 " Oh, such a whopper, just by those trees where I told him." The fish 

 came head-over-heels at the fly, took nobly, gave one turn over, and off 

 he went, the hold breaking. Of course he was the fish. But while we 

 lamented him, we got on the bridge. There were some nice fish rising 

 on the lovely shallow between the two withy beds below, but the sun 

 was out now, and you would have to wade down, so we didn't trouble 

 them. Below this there is another hatch, and above it is a nice bit of 

 water, which often holds some rattling good fish. 



As it is stiU sunny and the water is smoothish, I set Crayon at work in 

 the hatch hole — a deep rough hole, which holds a lot of very large fish, 

 but they rarely rise to the fly. Once in a way a good one backs on to 

 the shallow below and gets caught, which a pound and a half fish does 

 now, showing capital sport all round the hole and over the shallow, till I 

 dip the net under him, and translate him to another element. 



Then I fish the stream beloM^ towards the church. This is a very 



