TROUTING ON BASIN BROOK. 241 



eateu; and lie admits, for the purposes, liowever, of this 

 statement on]3\ that he lias eaten an appalling iinmher 

 during- the course of his fronting experience. 



Bright and early, we were all on the ri v er again. But these 

 were among the da3's when our friends at home were liope- 

 lessly hot and uncomfortable, and the thermometer reck- 

 lessly reveling among the nineties with aspirations, almost 

 realized, lor the tuneful niiiely and nine. Even we, in the 

 woods, sulfered much this day, and fled from tlie mid da}' 

 sun upon the water to the mossy river banks, and lunched 

 and slept and smoked and slept again, the faithful smudge 

 keeping guard, in the cool shade under the heav}' crowned 

 trees. Our catch of trout, therefore, while satisfactory was 

 much smaller than on the day before. During the actual 

 time of fishing, on both days, probably not tive minutes 

 elapsed without landing a trout of good size, and I, at least, 

 was satisfied with mere numbers. Like Alexander of old, 

 however, I longed for other worlds to conquer, and hoped 

 before we should leave the woods to take at least one "big, 

 big trout." 



While we Avere tishing near the mouth of the brook, and 

 at the height of our sport, a solitary fisherman in butternut, 

 one of the hangers-on at the Dam, paddled down the river. 

 " Our fun is up, Mayor," remarked I; " that fellow is com- 

 ing right in here, — no; there he swings, out into the river. 

 He's a gentleman, and no mistake!" And, sure enough, 

 he quietly rowed around to a landing below us, came 

 ashore, and Avith Ids formidable tamarack i^ole and chalk- 

 line went several rods above us on the stream and began 



