THE ANGLER'S TEMPER 45 



you have to repair damages once more. After this you 

 put your right foot into a hole and the water gets into 

 your boot. Next you get your first rise, and miss 

 the fish. 



Troubles follow apace on this. More fish are missed, 

 more flies are cracked off in the air or pulled off in the 

 thistles ; trout which to distant view seemed to be 

 rising fearlessly are put down by the most stealthy 

 approach ; that accomplished but somewhat critical 

 angler, Major X., comes up just as you are about to 

 cover a fish rising under the opposite bank. He 

 watches your struggles against the wind, which has 

 taken this opportunity to veer right round, for a while 

 in silence. Then he says, " You want to try the down- 

 ward cut like this." Downward cut ! After such a 

 morning as you have been having ! The only possible 

 answer is to wind up your line and observe that the 

 cast is too much for you, in a nonchalant tone which 

 implies that, while you could, of course, manage any 

 other on the river, this happens to be your one weak 

 spot. You then invite the Major to try his hand, not 

 without malice, and at the first cast his fly falls beauti- 

 fully and he catches the fish, bringing his score up to 

 a brace and a half. It is too much : with a very 

 cursory farewell, you go off downstream, and as you 

 get over the stile at the bend, you look back and see 

 that the Major is already fast in another. You shake 

 your head gloomily, and make up your mind that he is 

 little better than a pot-hunter. 



At the road bridge, whither you have made your way 

 in the hope of a trout from the ripple under the middle 

 arch, more trials are in store for you. A small boy 



