128 The Camatic Carp. < 'ha.pt. x. 



I could pass the word " ready, aye ready," and should look to 

 making him my own, instead of being anxious to get it out of his 

 mouth, like the thrifty Scot of " Punch " : — 



Donald. " E — h, Sir ! yons a gran' fesh ye've gotten a hand o' ! " 

 The Laibd. " Oo, aye, a gran' fesh eno', but I'd be gay an' glad if I saw my 

 twa and saxpenny flee weel oot o' his mooth ! " 



I am free to confess that my opportunities have been so few, 

 that I have not had thirty days' fishing altogether for the Camatic 

 Carp, and ought not, perhaps, to presume to write about it. Still, 

 as it is not a question of presumption at all, but of kindly wishing 

 to help brother sportsmen in the land of their exile to as good sport 

 as I have had myself, and as I have in that brief period been in 

 at the death of a good deal more than my own weight of fish, I 

 suppose even my little experience is better than nothing. Moreover, 

 brother sportsmen ask me for Information, and it is easier to me, 

 and more satisfactory to them, to write it fully once for all in a 

 book, than to write and re-write it briefly to every correspondent. 

 Furthermore, it was a case of love at first sight. I got a very 

 nice bag the first day I was out, though I improved upon it 

 afterwards. So I do not think I need further apologise for telling 

 brother fishermen, for their good, not mine, what little I do know, 

 with the frank confession that there is still much more to be 

 found out. 



I have killed these fish, for please remember that we are dis- 

 cussing nothing but the Camatic Carp in this chapter, on flies of 

 many colours, and of pretty nearly all sizes, from a No. 1£ 

 Limerick to a No. 6 Limerick (my scale), and even a No. j Smvk 

 bend, which is equivalent to a No. 8 Limerick, and 1 have killed on 

 a phantom minnow, and tried the spoon, and the spun dead bait ; 

 I tut I have killed both more and larger fish on a No. 6 Limerick hook, 

 and have done more business with a dark, gaudy fly, composed 

 body, legs, and wings entirely of peacock harl, than with anything 

 else; though my old friend the simple black fly seems to be very little 

 less attractive than his more glistening brother. Still, 1 am bound 

 to confess that there once was an evening, a memorable evening, 

 it was a sorely trying evening, when the fish were rising freely 

 at some natural fly, and would not Look at our flies. The 

 aatural fly was on only for a brief space at sunset, and 1 could not 

 catch it, but it seemed as small as an ordinary trout fly, if not 



