102 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



and, in good time, I came to understand that a wiry 

 frame may be as useful as a large store of bone and 

 muscle in matters intellectual. 



It was while slowly following our leader that the 

 artist told me of their wet journey in the train. 



On entering the meadow I had time, and only 

 time, to see that to my left there was an unbroken 

 stretch of green, bound in a long distance off with high 

 hedges that had huge poplars in them, which seemed 

 to vie with one another as church spires do to point 

 the highest towards the blue, when a voice called, 

 'I say, Green, put me on another bait; the one I put 

 on came off at the first cast.' 



On looking round I saw that the meadow's bound- 

 aries in that direction were finished off by a broad 

 silver hem and on the edge of the glittering water 

 there stood a man that held a rod and called for 

 'Green.' I put on a bait and saw him prepare to throw. 

 I would have much preferred to make the cast myself, 

 or see my friend the artist do it, as I expected this 

 second bait to follow the course of the first, which 

 I imagined had flown yards beyond the place his 

 tackle went to. The cast was made, and, when I saw 

 the bait rise to the required height and then with 

 a gliding shoot reach the spot desired, I was glad I had 

 not offered my assistance. I saw him gather his loose 

 line preparatory to striking a running fish, I saw 

 him play it, and then concluded that this man had little 

 to learn about live-baiting with a snap. 



You cannot make a century from a miss in balk, 

 neither can you cast, strike, and kill a pike perfectly, 

 without much practice, so I was safe in venturing 

 the remark, 'You have done a little fishing before 



to-day, Mr B ' He smiled, and in doing so lit 



up a countenance that encouraged me to ask him if 

 it would hurt much to call me 'Geen.' 



He laughed again and complied with my request 

 by saying, *I say, Geen, old fellow, put me on another 



