51 



but it can he lengtheacd with a chair ; and it is good for 

 us to mortify the flesh occasionally, if only that we may 

 the better appreciate our own homes I I am not going to 

 inflict any more of these domestic details iipon you, except 

 that I shall touch with a flying finger upon the savoury 

 repast of pigs' fry which our hostess set before us, and 

 leave you to imagine how we two miserable dyspeptic 

 WTetches collapsed at the sight of this solitary dish I But 

 we were on fishing bent, and not to be discouraged by 

 trifles. Had we not fished together, year after year, 

 through all the wildest and most "dissolute" parts of 

 Ireland, and there been content with salmon steak or 

 toasted trout, potatoes and buttermilk, and a shake-down 

 of oat-straw at night? And now let me introduce you to 

 the river, which we approach through a richly wooded park, 

 heavily stocked with both fur and feather, and here we 

 commence operations in a lovely pool, some thirty yards 

 wide, and a hundred yards long. The Wensum is a slow 

 running stream, about equal in size and volume to the 

 Itchen, above Winchester; but this Norfolk stream is 

 slower, and has a soft bottom which makes wading im- 

 possible. Waders, however, are necessary to your comfort, 

 if the weather is at all wet, because the banks are very bad 

 in places. The river consists of long sections of shallow, 

 smooth-surfaced, slow water, little more than a foot or two 

 in depth, alternating with deep reaches, containing big 

 holes, which afford shelter to the pike. These rapacious pests 

 have hitherto defied all the persistent efforts made to ex- 

 terminate them ; in fact, they appear to thrive upon the 

 ])ersecution to which they are subjected. Looking over 

 the road-bridge, at the tail of the pool, where we decided 

 to commence, we saw such a shoal of aldermanic roach, 

 which our attendant called " red fins," as I had never seen 

 before. There were hundreds of them, in about 8 ft. of 

 water, and they were all specimen fish, from a pound up- 

 wards ! I am not a float fisherman, but the sight of these 

 fat fellows made us wish that we were armed with the 

 proper Aveapons to tempt them to destruction. 



There was a gusty half gale blowing in our teeth, and 



