DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 193 



the needed pace to spin a rubber worm or any other 

 lure, so we changed our leads for the heaviest we 

 use — viz., six ounces. Brian seemed pleased at this, 

 but a cloud came over his much-wrinkled face as he 

 stretched out his hand to take one of the thin blue 

 lines we had attached them to, and the shake he 

 gave his head betrayed a lack of confidence, as also 

 did his question, 'What size fish will this be houlding?* 

 Brian's ancient face, handsome yet in spite of furrov/s, 

 and its sorry-to-doubt expression, made me say, — 



*We will be very careful should we have the luck 

 to hook a big one.' 



Apparently pleased with this reply, he answered, 

 'Then it's meself and Pat that will take you where 

 the big ones are, and should it happen they're shlaping 

 we'll wake thim for ye when the toide is turning.' 



To start at twelve and then to be told that the 

 quarry may be asleep would make most of us anxious 

 to know the time when the awakening might be 

 expected, but I did not ask as a violent tug came 

 which caught the angler napping, and Harry almost 

 lost his rod. That it was a heavy fish was soon apparent, 

 so, to avoid the chance of its getting round my line, 

 I commenced to wind in, but before I had turned the 

 handle twice, I had to loosen my hold of it and give 

 way to a rush that spun it out again in such merry 

 fashion that the fish was a long way back and down 

 before I could stay its progress, and I was quite relieved, 

 when I was able to wind on him, to find that as yet 

 he had not got amongst the weeds. Harry by this time 

 had his fish well in hand, and the rushes it made 

 were growing shorter, but that he was mastering 

 a heavier one than mine I had no doubt, so I told him 

 to give me the chance of bringing mine to Brian's 

 gaff to clear the road of danger before he attempted 

 his. Both fish fought bravely for a lengtliened time, 

 possibly somewhat prolonged by our anxiety to show 

 the doubting Brian that our lines could hold them 



D.S.S. G 



