GRAYLING FISHING ON THE ITCHEN 51 



may possibly never see the place again ; if a war 

 breaks out the Majestic is pretty sure to be in the 

 midst of it. 



He was just now leaving the training-ship, where 

 he had already obtained his corporal's stripe. I 

 understand that he gave this up, and was going 

 aboard the Majestic as an ordinary marine. He 

 said he liked the life all but the living but one 

 gets used to it. At first he could not manage to 

 make a meal of three inches of fat, and sometimes 

 rancid, meat and sea-biscuits but one has to live. 

 He is only seventeen now, so he may yet add some 

 inches to his six feet a fine, handsome fellow, 

 with the ruddy bloom of youth on his cheeks a 

 good honest countenance. He is only a boy his 

 poor mother says he is only a child, and she is 

 broken-hearted at parting with him, but comforts 

 herself with the reflection that he will only be 

 thirty-seven when he will be free to quit the service 

 and come home and be happy ever afterwards. 



I had many a pleasant day with him at the 

 waterside, and that is my excuse for so long a 

 deviation from the subject of grayling fishing. 



I had looked forward to this grayling season 

 with pleasurable anticipations, which I confess 

 have not been realized. I was there, and I decided 

 to stay, always hoping that a change from hot sun 

 and persistent cold easterly winds to something 

 more genial would happen next day. I caught 

 only one grayling of \\ Ib. and a few smaller ones. 

 Red Tag, even Dr. Brunton's Badger hackle, had 



