In the Peak Country. 135 



floundered about in the water, partly through too much 

 haste, partly through carelessness in planting his feet, the 

 result being to drive away the fish and to treble his own 

 exertions. Wherefore, while his friend was cool in body 

 and placid in spirit, he was perspiring and irritable, suffer- 

 ing, no doubt, mentally and physically from intense prickly 

 heat. It was astounding to observe how heavily his flies 

 pitched into the water; you could hear them fall. He 

 tested every kind of shrub on the bank, apparently with the 

 view of determining which would most effectually cause 

 entanglement and loss of tackle ; on the whole, the common 

 bramble seemed best adapted for this purpose, though for a 

 propounder of the question how it is possible for a line to 

 become most inextricably fastened up, there is nothing like 

 gorse. Need it be said that this gentleman caught no fish, 

 lost much tackle, and came out of the water at the end in 

 a vile humour, which the sight of his friend's pretty dish 

 of trout did not affect on the side of sweetness and 

 light ? 



When Sir Geoffrey Peveril, in the flush of hope, suggested 

 to Master Bridgnorth the possibilities of the King investing 

 him with a title as the reward of his loyalty he remarked 

 that " Earl of the Peak " would sound well. - That earldom 

 has never been bestowed, but there is a modern Waltonian 

 lord of the Peak who is known to all fishermen on Derwent, 

 or Dove, as " Old Butcher." This " character " has been 

 thus charmingly described by Mr. John Hall, a Sheffield 

 gentleman, who has written much of the Derbyshire rivers 

 and hills, and who can angle as well as he can write : 



" Old Butcher is young : though he's nigh fourscore 

 He can tramp twelve miles across a moor ; 

 He can fish all day and wade up stream, 

 And at night as fresh as the morning seem. 



