OUR HOLIDAY IN CORNWALL 91 



of my imprudence and want of forethought in 

 coming from Penzance to this lake-head without 

 any provision for the inner man ; but I had 

 thought surely there must be an inn somewhere 

 down on the pool ; what more natural than to 

 expect to find hereabouts a Saint Loe Hotel on St. 

 Loe's Lake ? 



" Let me," said I, " catch but one solitary com- 

 panion to this fellow in my bag, and I will away." 



He told me of a farmhouse over the hill where 

 I may get a glass of milk, but that was hardly 

 satisfying enough to justify a long climb, so I 

 bid him adieu and fished homewards to the head 

 of the lake. I had not proceeded far before my 

 beautifully floating small Red; Palmer drew the 

 attention of another fine trout to its destruction. 

 And so with a brace of trout, weighing together 

 just over 2 Ibs., of which I was proud, I ambled 

 back to Helston, and there found refreshment and 

 comfort in an inn. 



I have the presumption to think that had I 

 remained two or three hours longer on this lovely 

 pool I should have brought away, and had to 

 stagger homewards under, a good heavy load of 

 Loe Pool trout. 



My thanks are not the less due to Captain 

 Rogers because I made so little use of the fishing- 

 ticket he sent me ; I learnt too late that I had 

 lost a grand opportunity of educating the Loe trout 

 in the deceitfulness of a floating fly. 



" Noss Mayo" was to have met me here, and, 



