THE NORFOLK BROADS 271 



elusion that we must either give it up or find some 

 such channel as I had found before, with sheltered 

 water at the end of it. After a good deal of searching 

 we found one, and pushed the boat into it. The 

 narrow waterway pursued a sinuous course for some 

 fifty yards, and then came a surprise at the end of it 

 was a big pool of water, almost worthy to be called a 

 broad itself, except that it was not broad, but narrow, 

 its size being due to its great length. Also it was 

 scarcely rippled by the wind. Furthermore, it was 

 deeper than the water outside five feet at least ; and 

 lastly, as the boat glided in big greenish shapes moved 

 away from it bream at last. This was better, and 

 hope arose again. The method of mooring was satis- 

 factory enough here, and a liberal supply of ground- 

 bait was thrown in some fifteen yards away, after 

 which lobworms one on a light leger and the other 

 on float tackle, with a big, upstanding quill to mark 

 events were offered to the consideration of the shoal 

 which would surely assemble before nightfall. Probably 

 no one had fished in that rush-girt pool for years 

 before, if ever, for the bream were truly unsophisti- 

 cated. Before a quarter of an hour was passed 

 bubbles appeared on the surface sure sign that the 

 fish had gathered for the feast and five minutes later 

 the quill float moved steadily off, going under water at 

 a slanting angle. There was none of that uprising and 

 lying flat which is commonly the token of small fish ; 

 the bite was clearly the work of a good one that meant 

 business. 



Many men say that the bream is a poor fighter, but 

 that is probably because they have also in mind the 



