110 



and thus give warning- to his friends of the presence of 

 xin enemy. The blue dun is once more sent flying thi'ough 

 the air, and again another trout falls a victim to the imita- 

 tion ; two others quicldy follow to swell the total slain and 

 then the threatening clouds carry out their threats, and 

 proceed to pour out their contents in a steady and business- 

 like fashion. Insect life disappears from the river's sur- 

 face, and the swallows no longer skim its waters, but hawk 

 in mid-ail', thus indicating that the flies have mounted 

 Mgher in order to avoid being beaten down by the rain, 

 and are there awaiting the finish of the passing shower. 

 It is useless to fish in this downpour ; so let us join those 

 liappy schoolboys who are paddling under the arch of 

 yonder road bridge and catching cray fish. The youngest of 

 the trio, a big-eyed, curly-headed mother's pet, holds the 

 spoil ; he is too timid to venture into the water ; and, 

 liaving won his confidence by admiring the little fresh 

 water lobsters which he hugs in an old meat tin, he is- 

 heguiled in his youth and innocence, into telling me all 

 about himself, his brothers, and his baby sister at home — 

 who is to have one of the cray fish for herself. " "\Yhat is 

 the best way to keep them ? " he asks, "uith his big eyes 

 looking at us and reflecting his implicit belief in our knov/- 

 ledge of all such matters and it is sad to tell that the poor 

 Taoy, deceived into the belief that the only proper way to 

 keep a cray fish and bring liiin up in a respectable manner 

 was to put him in a canary cage, give him some wet flannel 

 ior a bed, and teach him to whistle. That boy made things 

 unpleasant at home in the evening, because he was not 

 allowed to carry out these instructions ; and his clerical 

 papa expostulated with us subsequently upon the ^Toag; 

 done by destroying the confidence of youth ! Whether it 

 was a visitation upon us for our unintentional offence 

 against the laws of serious sober truth, I know not, but bad 

 luck attended our fishing for the remainder of the afternoon 

 until the light began to fade, and then a grand rise of red- 

 quilled gnat came up from the river's bed, and a capital 

 hour's fishing made a good ending to the day's trouting. 



Whatever may be the feelings awakened in other men by 



