60 LINES IN PLEASANT PLACES 



carnival a fortnight before, Mr. Francis Francis had 

 astonished the natives. As a rule the fishing is not 

 good until the trout have got well over their Mayfly 

 debauch, but I determined to work hard, nevertheless, 

 if haply I might experience that traditional exception 

 by which the rule is proven. The fish in this part, 

 which was in truth practically a millhead, seemed to be 

 feeding close to the bank. The first cast secured some- 

 thing but what was very uncertain. A trout would 

 not wobble and tug in that sullen, carthorse manner. 

 Lo ! it was a pickerel. A second time, lo ! it was a 

 pickerel. The next fish, however, was a trout a big 

 and somewhat lazy fellow, who allowed me to bring 

 him to the top of the water, and to wait (with him well 

 in hand, however) to see what his next movement 

 would be. As he appeared to be reticent about troub- 

 ling me with an orthodox tussle, I gave him no further 

 grace, but winched him in and netted him out. His 

 colours faded at once, and the dirty grey mottlings 

 which broke out upon his sides proclaimed him a 

 degenerate. One other big fellow they were each 

 ^\ Ib. went to keep him company, and then, the sun 

 being now high in heaven, I returned to breakfast. 



About three o'clock in the afternoon it was cloudy, 

 and a gentle, melancholy, sighing west wind wafted to 

 my assistance in the lower meadows, where the stream 

 is small and typical of perpetual motion. The keeper 

 and his boy strolled along towards five o'clock, and the 

 game was by this time so merry that they never left me 

 so long as I could see to throw a fly. Smooth water or 

 broken, deep or shallow, alike gave up its increase. The 

 fish were not particular as to the fly, with the one ex- 

 ception of the black gnat, which they would not as 

 much as look at. Replace it with a governor or coach- 

 man, and they came with a heartfelt eagerness most 



