178 BY KOOK AND BY CROOK. 



proached by a corkscrew road, and accordingly, to secure 

 this individuality -without being eccentric, had elected to 

 exist on the summit of a hill overlooking a country-side 

 which, at all events as far as the immediate neighbour- 

 hood is concerned, gave little promise to the tourist or 

 water-drinker of angling propensities. 



In fact the district looked anything but fishy, but 

 after a lengthened consultation with our friend the 

 doctor, we took a more cheerful view of our condition 

 and came to the conclusion that we might possibly sur- 

 vive the next two days without ennui, for after having 

 (in the manner of eminent counsel) repeatedly urged 

 him to try to refresh his memory, he unearthed from 

 the depths of his knowledge-box the credited existence 

 of a small lake some few miles distant. The natives 

 apparently had not visited the lake for some years, and 

 were more than guarded in their statements as to its ex- 

 istence, hoping perhaps that such ignorance might cause 

 it to change into sulphur-springs or a corkscrew road. 



What the lake had done to incur the hatred of the 

 inhabitants we could not tell, but no one, not even the 

 doctor, would give us information concerning it, for, in 

 reply to queries, he, in the most provoking manner, 

 would revert to the sulphur-springs; indeed, all we 

 could ascertain was that there had been a lake, likewise 

 a boat upon it, and that they both might he about five 

 miles off in a rather uncertain direction. 



The following morning, in order to retain the good- 

 will of the natives, we duly paid homage to the two 

 patron saints of Lisdoon Varna, and felt, we must 



