Cb vrr. vi. ] Jt yaw Fish. 7'.' 



stone Em hours together that the oat kills a squirrel. Motion in a 

 sign of life, and when it is absent, animals, as well as men, arc 

 prone to doubt their eyes, and to take the object for some 

 inanimate thing. 



But do not trust to this if you are fishing, for it is as unneces- 

 sary as it is difficult that you should see your fish at all, and 

 as above shown, the chances are about ten to one thai he sees 

 you before you sec him, and then your catching him is a thing 

 out of tin' questions Von do not want to interview the fish, yon 

 want to catch him. Take a distant survey of the water, ami when 

 you see a likely looking bit, take its bearings, and decide whence 

 you shall make your approaches on the enemy's position. Then 

 stalk it as you would a sambur. Stalk not any particular fish, but 

 stalk all the positions in which any fish are likely to be; in short, 

 stalk the pool as if it were a living thing full of eyes, which, in 

 fact, it is, and if any one of them sees you, mid its owner darts 

 Brightened away, the probabilities are that the rest also will take 

 alarm from his movement, and not a fish will you take in that pool. 

 Do not stalk for too close a shot either ; you do not need to be 

 nearer than just to see your line fall, than just to see the surface of 

 the water you are fishing, so that you may keep clear of rocks and 

 snags, and fish it properly. But you do not always require to do 

 even that. If from your first distant observations you know that 

 the coast is all clear in a certain direction, then fish it round the 

 corner of a rock without even seeing it. This is the best position 

 in which you can possibly be. You do not need to see. You will 

 feel fast enough if a good Mahseer has got hold of you, and then all 

 you have to do is to return the compliment by holding on to him. 

 If your hand is practised, you will know how your bait or your 

 fly is deporting itself, though round a corner and out of your sight. 



In so stalking, perhaps, you have attained a snug position in 

 which, by lying down or otherwise, you are invisible to the fish, 

 but in attaining it have unavoidably shown yourself at some 

 awkward corner that you had to get round. If so, do not begin 

 fishing at once, but wait long enough for the scare to pass off. 

 When confidence is re-established you may a^ain invite speculators 

 to take shares. Many a goodly trout, like his betters, has been taken 

 out of ins le retirement by such tactics. There is a peculiar 



charm in being even with the wary one that has baffled you and 



