192 A TEAR OF LIBERTT; OB, 



for you are aware the art- consists in dragging each fish out 

 neck and heels by main force. At this time the tackle in fashion 

 consisted of from four to six large hooks tied on a hemp line, 

 with which the water is raked from end to end. I do not hesitate 

 to say it is useless for a fair sportsman to attempt to fish here under 

 existing circumstances." 



Thus wrote as honest an English gentleman and as good an 

 angler as need be. It may be easily imagined, therefore, I went to 

 bed in the railway hotel with small intention of heeding the seducing 

 voices of the early cocks in the " quaint old Spanish town." The 

 musical sound of the clock in the fine church tower in the square 

 chanted matins at four ; at five it seemed to say, *' I am afraid you 

 can't be well ;" at six its warning tones, I fear, fell on drowsy 

 senses ; but when the next admonitions of my gentle monitor met 

 my ears, I hopped out of bed and took an airing at the window. 

 There lay the square in the full blaze of the summer's sun ; the 

 brave and industrious girls of the Claddagh were vending their fish ; 

 a poor scholar, with a few tattered volumes under his arm, loitered 

 by the railings, eyeing the cannon, and perhaps admiring the flowers ; 

 and a Bianconi, piled high with tourists' luggage, was preparing for 

 its westward journey. In fact the world was awake, and what 

 excuse had I for sleeping ? Dressing that morning was a slow opera- 

 tion ; breakfast was more slow, and the leading article of the Galway 

 Mirror was the slowest of all. At length there was no further 

 reason for delay. Willie had been in and out of the room at least 

 twenty times. Mademoiselle placed pipe-case, pouch, and fly-book 

 in my hat, and laid it on the table. It was clear I was expected to 

 go out. 



The river, although a beautiful piece of water, is but short, and 

 on it I found many persons angling after the mode prevalent in 



Q-alway. Whether that admirable sportsman Mr. G was 



amongst the number I did not stop to inquire ; but, taking a boat, 

 paddled about, hoping to find some indifferent cast where we might 

 be allowed to spend an hour or two in peace. Dodging hither and 

 thither, sometimes fishing after a "sportsman" who had raked the 



