TARN 97 



crumbly peat. The trout had begun to 

 rise, and in a little while the whole sur- 

 face of the lake was dimpled with hun- 

 dreds of leaping fish. They seemed to 

 be sporting like a school of porpoises, 

 and when they did flick a tail at my care- 

 fully prepared cast, the result was either 

 a foul-hooked fish or not so much as 

 that. Still I whipped away diligently 

 with the two-handed rod, letting out 

 more and more line, and manipulating 

 the flies in every conceivable way, un- 

 til weariness and tantalisation combined 

 prompted me to reel up and wonder 

 what that sly Welshman was doing. 



I came upon him casting vigorously 

 with his ash-plant rod, and, sure enough, 

 there on the bank lay a little heap of 

 fish glistening in the moonlight. There 

 were comparatively few trout rising 

 here, yet he was enjoying good sport. 



Having found the fly useless, he had 

 taken to worm ; but instead of using it 

 7 



