114 DAYS STOLEN FOK SPORT 



'*\\Tiat's that?" Shall I hide it? If so, where, that 

 the retriever may not smell it? I have the most 

 .obstinate set of brains that will sometimes, vhen I 

 most need them, desert me utterly. I could do nothing 

 but nurse that fish until the man and dog were within 

 two hundred yards, and then a most brilliant idea 

 came to me. I turned my back on them, wrapped my 

 handkerchief round the fish and put it in my pocket, 

 and then faced about and waited for the keeper's 

 "Good-morning." But he added to it : "Any sport, 

 sir?" Now I had not thought of any answer to this 

 most probable question, so I had to think before I 

 could say, "Well, not exactly sport. I've had an 

 excitement — I hooked something — but they went 

 away — two of them did." 



'The keeper looked first at me and then at his 

 dog, which was quietly enjoying the fact that a cucum- 

 ber-scented fish was in the pocket nearest him, and, 

 while he looked, a thought occurred to me for which 

 my brains were forgiven all else : "I did not see you, 

 keeper, when I was down here last, so here is a double 

 trifle." The keeper departed, and I threw the fish 

 into the plantation opposite, which I should have done 

 before had not my coward conscience led me step by 

 step into a stupid fear of that knowing dog.' 



'Here comes the keeper, dad,' said Phil. 'Talk 

 of a certain gentleman and you'll see his horns.* 



'That's just what I told Pat Jennings when I was 

 in Connemara. What do you think he said? "Sure, 

 thin, yer honour, there's no divil," and then haltingly, 

 "Begorra, it's meself that's not for denying that some- 

 thing walks about on dark nights, but it's the divil 

 himself that could give the same a name.' 



By this time the keeper was with us and seemed 

 pleased at our success. He accepted our offerings, 

 wished us further luck, and would have departed 

 had not a rogue told him what the pocket had held 

 on the day his dog nosed it so persistently. He seemed 



