XV 

 WHEN LADIES FISH 



IN my wanderings 1 have come across a good 

 many ladies who are skilled in fishing, and 

 from the pages of the sporting papers I 

 deduce that women are taking to the sport 

 in ever-increasing numbers, while their success 

 with both trout and salmon is proportionate to 

 their zeal. Indeed some of the most important 

 entries on the " big fish list " have ladies' names 

 against them. South Africa has had its lady 

 anglers. Miss Rhodes, sister of Mr. Cecil 

 Rhodes, fished regularly from a little boat in 

 Kalk Bay, near Capetown. Lady Farrar used 

 to fish with her husband in Durban harbour, and 

 they used to take me with them sometimes. 1 

 well remember her getting into a big one once. 

 As it was evidently a monster I carefully timed 

 the play. After fifty-five minutes, however, the 

 fish got ofF. It was probably a skate. These 

 brutes sometimes take well over an hour to bring 

 to boat. I thought the angler's wrist would have 

 given out, but she held on, enjoyed every minute 

 of it, and, when the fish got ofi^ behaved like a 

 true sportsman. 



