170 A YEAE OF LIBERTY ; OR, 



" the master's hand was out." Oh, that tattered disciple of Izaak ; 

 positively he has another, whilst we have not turned a tail. And 

 now a jubilant shout rose from every boat, each of the six having 

 nearly at the same time hooked a fish. That yell startled even the 

 poor artiste, who in an unguarded moment turned to see what could 

 be the matter. A rattling leap warned him of the error, when 

 too late, for the salmon had departed without leave, carrying off his 

 best fly. 



Man is an inquisitive animal, never satisfied without knowing the 

 why and because. What was the reason of our failure ? Could it 

 be the tackle ? Surely no ! Was it the incapacity of the angler ? 

 Vanity forbade the thought. I once read of an ill-fated being with 

 whom nothing prospered energy, zeal, honesty, were unavailing, 

 for unlucky Joe was bom on a Friday. Was that, too, my natal day ? 

 In terror I fumbled for my pocket-book, wherein the event was duly 

 chronicled. No, thanks to time, I am not thus doomed to perpetual 

 misfortune, though I have escaped by a miracle, for I was ushered 

 into the world at half -past eleven on Thursday night. 



Tom now did what he should have done long before, and lifting 

 the stone, we dropped down the stream. The truth was, our position 

 had been badly selected, for the shade of the bridge cast a deeper 

 hue on water already sufficiently dark, and satisfactorily accounted 

 for our previous want of success. The beneficial effects of the move 

 were at once apparent ; as we drifted within a long cast of the poor 

 disciple, a sporting fish dashed at my fly, and overboard went the 

 anchor. The tackle was good and time precious, so giving the butt, 

 but not sparing an inch of line, I kept a tight rein on him, and in a 

 few minutes got him into the boat. Our neighbour, whom Tom 

 affirmed to be a tinker, was now on his mettle ; the flies fell within 

 a foot of each other, though with very different results, for his had 

 been again and again over the water, and mine were novelties. A 

 merry dash at the dropper and a deep dull roll at the trail occurred 

 simultaneously ; for a brief space both were on the line. Alas I it 

 was only too brief, and then, as usual in such cases, the lightest 

 hooked broke away, leaving us at leisure to manage the other. This 



