xvi ALONGSHORE 



shore, as changeable as the sea, as baffling as men, 

 and even harder to catch in words than fish in 

 nets. You will know what I have left out and 

 where I have gone wrong; but, having such eyes 

 of your own, you will at least credit me with 

 having eyes too, and will not be blind enough 

 to suppose that everything I have observed 

 somebody must be blamed for telling me. With 

 those incapable of reading books to any better 

 purpose than that of identifying the characters in 

 them, nothing can be done, I suppose, except smile 

 at the absurd mistakes they make, and will certainly 

 make over this book; but of one thing I am glad; 

 there is no character, drawn from life, in this or 

 the other book, of whom I have not spoken, quite 

 truthfully I believe, a deal better than the afore- 

 said book-detectives and beach-gossips do. Nor 

 have any fishing secrets or marks been given away 

 by me. You who know them best will know that 

 too. 'If people only know'd what fishing's like 

 . . . .' you've often said. I have tried to tell them. 

 But one thing I have left out, namely just how to 

 catch the fish upon exactly the right mark. That 

 we'll do together, when 'tis fitty and we'm up 

 for it. 



Such zest you have found in life alongshore, 



