150 WA TERSIDE SKETCHES. 



Is there one amongst my readers who can remember his 

 state of mind when on some occasion he has been surrounded 

 by the evidence of fish yet been unable to obtain one ? 

 That was my hapless condition during a spell of midday 

 sun on the Garrogue River. It had stormed right royally 

 when just previously the pike in mad succession took the 

 glittering spoon, and then large circles spread upon the 

 water showing that the trout were on the move. Even in 

 Ireland, however, where brown trout are not accounted of 

 high rank, you cannot in conscience meddle with them at 

 Michaelmas, Pat pointed to me the direction of a deep 

 pool where in the spring, he said, many a salmon was sur- 

 prised, and where now he knew there was a shoal of perch 

 of the genus "whopper." He had seen them the day 

 before, "yer honner, shoining loike bars of govvld tied up 

 with black ribbon, upon my sowl, sorr." 



A phantom minnow should be in every wandering angler's 

 case, and I should as soon think of going to Ireland without 

 cne as without my pipe. The phantom, however, carelessly 

 handled played me a trick which did not raise me in the 

 boatman's estimation. A good perch was hooked, brought 

 to within a couple of yards of the boat, and clumsily lost. 

 I permitted him to approach the top of the water before his 

 time ; there was a pull-baker, pull-devil sensation, then a 

 floundering on the surface, a broadside flashing, and a 

 sudden disappearance. Pat had one or two provoking 

 little ways with him. He had watched the whole business 

 with positive eagerness, but the moment the misfortune 

 happened he appeared unconscious of it, of me, nay, of him- 

 self, as, looking quite in another direction, he gazed musingly 

 at the sky, softly whistling. 



