Trout Fishing in Wicklow 177 



smiled on me that day, and I stopped him. 

 To show his displeasure at being frustrated, 

 he made a succession of heavy plunges, which 

 caused me to quake with anxiety. However, 

 the end was approaching, and precious glad 

 I was, for I had had him on at least twenty 

 minutes, and I was mighty hot and anxious. 

 My quondam friend, who had given me the 

 introduction to this grand fish, was in the 

 most intense state of excitement, and dancing 

 a sort of war-dance all round me. " Every- 

 thing comes to him who waits " is a trite 

 but true saying, and at last my beautiful 

 leviathan was fairly and squarely beaten. 

 He turned on his side, then gave a little 

 spasmodic shoot out, but came back again. 

 I had only a small-sized net with me, but 

 good luck was with me all through, for my 

 new, kind old friend had a famous big one, 

 and without an instant's delay he slipped 

 quietly into the water, netted my fish, and 



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