84 Sporting Sketches in Pen and Pencil 



I don't mean to brag, but I learnt of the best masters on the Thames, 

 have practised a great deal, and think I do it pretty well. Across the stream 

 with a slight splash, just to attract the fish's notice, and the bait comes 

 spinning and whirling round in a seductive curve, as if it were going round 

 a ball room in the Walpurgis Waltz. Once more the line is gathered in ; a 

 slight heave and a swing, and away flies the bait again, and along it comes 

 like a streak of silver. The third time, as I was watching it, I saw a slight 

 ridge in the water, and the bait seemed to disappear. There was a check, 

 followed by " a chuck " from me, and I let him have it smartly. 

 " Whizz ! " and out went a dozen yards of line. One doesn't part with 

 much, as a rule, to a pike ; but this fellow, being in a stream, was a 

 lively chap, and made a strong fight of it before I could get him 

 near Alfred's landing net ; but at length he got near enough, the net 

 slipped under him, and out he came, a handsome six-pound fish, like a 

 green tiger, and kicking like old Joe. 



" Hi, hi, 111 ! " from J. broke in here. 



" Run to Mr. J. with the net ; he's in a tidy fish by the bend of 

 his rod," and Alfred sped away, while I straightened the dace on my 

 Chapman, it being little damaged. 



There seemed to be a little more difficulty with J.'s fish than mine, 

 which was accounted for when Alfred came back with the intelligence 

 that J. had broken his ice with a good ten-pounder. 



Away flew my bait again clean across the water, dropping with a 

 light splash just clear of the opposite bushes. Half a dozen casts, and 

 I saw a bulge in the water of a good fish following, but he shied 

 off and didn't take. Another cast, but he didn't take, so I left him. 



" That's a tidy fish there, sir. I see him t'other day just under 

 that bush. He'll go a dozen pounds when you get him out." But 

 as he didn't take I marked him down, and went on a few yards lower 

 down, where I turned over a fair fish, but he was away directly. I 

 cast again instantly to the spot without a second's delay, and he came 

 like a lion at it, and I had him, but only for a moment or two, for 

 once more he got off, and this time he had had enough of me. He 

 seemed to be a nice fish of 71b., or thereabouts. My bait being rather 



