164< BY HOOK AND BY dtOOK. 



repeating the same movement until at length he tired 

 himself out^ enabling us to get ashore and net him — a 

 fresh-run fish of 15 lb., that never showed a fin until 

 in the net, and game as a pebble to the last. 



This fish did nothing but run. Our companion 

 really seemed to be dead out of luck, as no doubt he 

 must have cast very near to this fish, perhaps over him, 

 but had failed to rise him. 



He now again took to the boat and fished the pool 

 down carefully, with again no result, returning to shore 

 somewhat disheartened, and as there remained but a 

 quarter of an hour before we should set off to catch 

 the train home, he decided to take off his waders and 

 give it up for the day. 



More to fill up the time than with any idea of sport, 

 we said to our boatman, " Jump into the boat. Mat, 

 and we ^11 just cast it down for ten minutes and get a 

 fish to wind the day up properly .^^ 



The said Mat was an excellent hand at working a 

 boat ; he didn't go too fast or too slow ; and so well 

 accustomed were the pair of us to fishing together that 

 we could cast the whole pool without exchanging a word, 

 while we drifted down casting over every lay of the fish. 



At our suggestion he quickly took his seat in the 

 boat, and with a few strokes of the oars had her over 

 under the opposite bank just where the last fish had 

 taken; a few more holding-up strokes, when, just as 

 the fly was swinging round, bang came a fish at it, 

 hooking himself without much assistance on our part. 



