70 A YEAR OF LIBERTY ; OR, 



to continue so." Now this state of affairs did not suit the Bush, 

 that excellent lady being rather choice in the matter of weather ; 

 nothing pleases her except the united homage of wind and clouds. 

 Then there is no end of her goodness. 



Our stock of tackle consisted only of six or eight flies none 

 suitable for the water and one casting line, which had seen service 

 at the Cummeragh, Lough Gill, and Lough Fern. In fact, the 

 season's fly-fishing was only now about to commence, and we had 

 everything to get ready. We never keep old stock, so next morning 

 were wonderfully busy. The first things to be made were half a 

 dozen single and two or three treble casting lines, and this is the 

 way we proceeded. Eight or nine threads of gut were selected with 

 some attention to graduation ; these were thrown into a basin of 

 tepid water. Then a similar number were chosen, and rolled up to 

 keep them distinct ; then another and another lot, all fastened up in 

 a different way. By this time the first were ready for use. At the 

 end of each thread a small loop was made, the spare parts clipped 

 off, and the strands laid one after the other on the table. When all 

 were thus prepared, the line was finished by each loop being passed 

 into the next. 



So this first part of our business was done. For "the trebles" 

 we set to work in a different manner. First, three suitable pieces of 

 gut were knotted together at one end and thrown into water; 

 then other lots followed, till sufficient were collected to make a 

 total of 6ft. One set was now taken out, and fastened through the 

 knot by a pin to the table. Between the thumb and fore finger 

 one strand is slightly twisted and laid over the next, which in turn 

 receives a few twists ; the third undergoes the same treatment, and 

 so the first stage is completed. The same manipulation continued to 

 the end of the threads, finishes the first length ; and by degrees the 

 whole were made, spliced, varnished with copal, and hung on pins to 

 dry. Before going to bed a dozen and a half of flies, on medium 

 gi'ilse hooks, were finished ; and thus an impracticable day was 

 turned to account. The following morning was as unfavoui'able as 

 the preceding, so all the rods were overhauled and put into working 



