32 AN OPEN CREEL 



while I was putting a worm on the tail-fly to see 

 whether one of them would take it, the eels suddenly 

 fell out about something and began to fight, worrying 

 each other like the aforesaid dogs. Of the worm they 

 took no notice at all, and one of them finally drove the 

 other into a hole under the bank. I was so engrossed 

 in watching them that I did not perceive a monstrous 

 great trout, which had sprung from nowhere, and was 

 coming open-mouthed after the worm. I moved sud- 

 denly, and he turned tail, to my grief, for he was all of 

 a quarter of a pound. 



A little later, while I was repairing damages (tamen 

 usqut vecurret /), I looked up and saw a large stoat 

 crossing the shallow stream a few yards above me. It 

 galloped rather than ran, evidently not much liking 

 the water. Then it disappeared in a hedge which ran 

 down to the stream. Immediately out came a rabbit, 

 which sat and waited to see whether it was pursued. 

 The stoat did not appear, and after a little bunny 

 crept up to the hedge and peeped through, went a 

 little higher and peeped again, and finally, coming to 

 the conclusion that the coast was clear, disappeared 

 with a joyful flirt of its white scut. It was for all the 

 world like a child playing hide-and-seek. Soon after 

 this I had the sport of the day, in a rather deep pool, 

 overhung by a willow and fed by a kind of natural 

 waterfall. Two trout came at me and were basketed, one 

 from the still water under the boughs, and the other from 

 the rough stream at the top, and they weighed just under 

 five ounces and five and a half ounces respectively, 

 par nobile fratrum. On the tiny rod and gossamer gut 

 they really made a great fight. They were also the 



