36 THE TROUT ARE RISING 



busy, and wading, when cautiously undertaken, 

 helped one to reach good spots. The cast con- 

 sisted of blue upright, February red, and heron's 

 wing. Scarcely had a start been made before the 

 sun, as if impatient of restraint, burst through 

 the clouds. Out came immediately a hatch of 

 blue duns, and up rose the game little trout. 

 Soon one rose to the blue upright, and was safely 

 landed, the first trout of the visit. Then two, 

 three, four, five more came to the basket ; all 

 from practically the same spot, and all in good 

 condition. On most rivers, these trout would 

 have had to be returned ; here, the quarter-pound 

 trout is indisputably takeable, and on the table, 

 prepared in the true west-country manner, it is a 

 delicacy which the guests are not slow to demolish. 

 It was chiefly the blue upright that was fancied 

 by the trout that day. Indeed one ardent angler 

 lower down had, I found, three of these flies on 

 his cast. 



To me, most happily engaged, presently came 

 a Somersetshire youngster along the bank. He 

 seemed to be specially interested in the brand 

 new pair of waders. " Do them things let in the 

 water, zur ? " he inquired. The reply was a stout 

 negative, qualified by an inward hope that the many 

 brambles and briars by the riverside would be 

 kind enough not to prove me a liar. That hope, 

 alas, was later disappointed. Even here, in this 

 remote and peaceful valley, came a quick reminder 

 of the convulsions in the outer world. For the 

 lad's next words were : " My brother, zur, is one 



