60 AN OPEN CREEL 



above him, and still going strong, gave a plunge, and 

 the fly came away. It was a mighty contest, and 

 about the last event of the day, for the hatch of fly 

 was over by eleven, and the big fish all retired. But 

 Hyandry was right. Personally, I am very glad of it. 



The third great day was vouchsafed to me in the 

 following August, when I was again privileged to visit 

 the water. It was very hot so hot that I found 

 myself wishing for coolness so early as eight o'clock. 

 I had been out since before six, curious to see whether 

 there would in real summer be an early morning rise. 

 There was not, and clearly there would be none till 

 the late evening, when the sedges come out. 



On the way back to breakfast I threw out a sugges- 

 tion to the keeper about worms and perch at the Stop. 

 The Stop is the rather complicated affair for catching 

 weeds described earlier, and is built of wire and piles. 

 Round about it is the deepest water in the fishery, and 

 round about it too were, I had been told, perch and 

 this I knew from ocular proof roach. My notion was 

 to sit there as on previous occasions, unsuccessful of 

 course, but placid and relatively cool. The keeper was 

 doubtful about the perch, but optimistic about worms. 

 No ; no gentleman had left any behind for the public 

 good, but he dared say he could find some himself. 

 Thereupon I went in to breakfast, reflecting that, with 

 the worms that he would dig, the bread that should 

 be levied from the table, and the caddises that I would 

 collect from a ditch, the bait problem was solved. For 

 the tackle I had my light ten-foot fly-rod, reel and gut, 

 and friend C., who has more gear of all kinds than 

 anyone else on earth, would surely lend me hooks and 



