AT THE INN 145 



the landlady, cheery soul, who at once greeted 

 him with : " There ! and I thought I had packea 

 you all off for the rest of the day ! " 1 grasped my 

 forgotten packet and fled ! 



Blessed be meadow and stream, which give 

 the hard-working landlady and her staff a chance 

 to get on with the day's work ! 



Fishermen as a race seem to be trusted by the 

 landlord. I remember having a delightful and 

 successful holiday at a bungalow-hotel in Natal, 

 which lay on a height overlooking the Mooi 

 river. I had been fishing up to the very last 

 minute, and was leaving in a hurry ; in fact the 

 horses were inspanned already for the long journey. 

 " Bill, please, landlord ! " said 1. " Oh," replied 

 he, " there's no time now ; I'll post it on to you." 

 "But," 1 asked, "isn't that rather risky?" 

 " Never been done down by a fisherman yet," 

 answered he. Who could help sending the 

 cheque very promptly when the bill arrived ? It 

 made one feel that the honour of fishermen as a 

 race was at stake. 



An amusing instance of easy-going trust in 

 fishermen occurred at a country hotel in the West 

 of England. At luncheon or dinner, when an 

 order tor the bar was given, the guest would 

 expect to sign the usual chit. No chit was 

 forthcoming, though the refreshment soon was. 

 Asked about it, the waitress said, " Oh, you pay 

 in the bar afterwards." You were never asked 

 definitely to pay for it, in the bar, or anywhere 

 else. Ot course everybody made -or was supposed 



i. 



