OLD JOYS IN NEW PLACES 281 



England and South Africa. On a certain trout 

 water in Staffordshire a big, strapping man had 

 asked for a few hints as to throwing a fly, and, 

 the hints given, he was performing promisingly. 

 Then suddenly he had a rise, and the trout stayed 

 on the hook. It was not a large fish, but the man 

 with the rod became helpless, amusingly helpless ; 

 he fairly pleaded for the management of affairs to 

 be taken off his hands. " I shall only lose the 

 trout," he urged, pathetically. It seemed strange 

 that a man keen to learn fly-fishing as he was 

 should be not only willing but anxious to forego 

 the thrilling moment. So it was, however, in 

 spite of his being quietly encouraged to hold on ; 

 and the fish was therefore played for him, and 

 duly landed. This little incident came swiftly to 

 mind when, several years later, I was bottom- 

 fishing for yellow fish in the Klip river, Trans- 

 vaal. A friendly neighbour, coming up, was 

 invited to join our little party. A rod was handed 

 to him. He had never fished before, but, as so 

 often happens to novices, he had good luck. 

 Scarcely had he put in before he exclaimed : " I 

 have one ! " So he had. The thrilling moment, 

 however, had no attraction for him. He implored 

 me to take the rod. The information that it is 

 better for each man to catch his own fish did not 

 appeal to him. He replied with great earnestness 

 that he did not know how, that he was sure he 

 would only lose the fish. As he seemed to be 

 qualifying rapidly for this result, the fish was 

 therefore caught by proxy. It was a silver fish, 



