REMINISCENCES OP THE LEWS. 141 



on the water, as mucli as to say to the fish, 

 "Attention!" and they did attend, and they 

 were astonished at what they saw. For Shippy 

 dressed his own flies ; and what flies ! I never 

 saw anything like them before, except my own, 

 and they were better ; and I did not think it 

 possible I could have an inferior in that art. 

 But Shippy' s were even less ephemeral than 

 mine. They were a mixture of caterpillars of 

 various hues, of gigantic size, and rough Welsh 

 buzzes. But Shippy whacked these flies a long 

 way and straight on the water, so that he never 

 missed a fish that rose. His line was never 

 curved — it was always as taut as a hauled-on 

 hawser; and he was a most successful man. 

 I never knew him come home empty-handed, 

 and he used to kill fish when I could not. 

 When he left the island he gave me his flies — 

 if so they could be called — and I killed many, 

 many fish with them, but I never could catch 

 his decided lohach with them ; and no human 

 fly-dresser I ever encountered could put any- 

 thing together resembling his patterns. He 

 had a peculiarity, too, in fishing. He never 

 could handle a rod without smashing it to 

 atoms ; his own poles even could not stand his 

 work. And I used to rig up rods on purpose 

 for him — for I delighted in having him to fish 



