MUSINGS OF A BUSH RIDE 65 



adepts in this modest branch of the gentle art, and the 

 Nawab, spite of his big spectacles, could detect a bite 

 as if he had been a roach fisher all his days. 



Any other description of angling would, I presume, 

 have been alien to the tastes of an Oriental, but this 

 offered a minimum of exertion. I seated myself a re- 

 spectable distance above their highnesses, and if now 

 and then my pricked fish disturbed their " swim," they 

 must admit they received the full benefit of my ground 

 bait, which, as the balls gradually dissolved, crept down 

 to sharpen the appetites of the fish within their sphere. 

 The Nawab used one of those immense bamboo rods, 

 the sections of which have to be unshipped at the taking 

 of every fish and whenever rebaiting is necessary. This 

 I am aware is the regulation mode amongst Thames 

 and Lea roach anglers ; but its clumsiness always for- 

 bade my cultivating it. A light rod and fine running 

 line were more to my fancy, even though I had occa- 

 sionally to pay for its indulgence by losses. 



On this particular day the roach were, in angler's 

 parlance, " on the feed " ; and the water was of the 

 precise degree of cloudiness suitable for the operation. 

 The Nawab and his son had selected a reach of water 

 where the current was sluggish, and they undoubtedly 

 took the finest roach. I had chosen a favourite swim 

 at the tail of a rapid, and commanding an eddy, where 

 you could generally make sure of picking up an odd 

 chub or wandering dace ; and it was my fate to have 

 a good deal of amusement with the latter. A logger- 

 headed chub of 3 Ib. or thereabouts ran down to pay 

 homage to the Nawab, but I contrived to check its 

 career before it intruded itself into the presence, and 

 the capture of this fish was watched and criticised with 

 much eagerness by my neighbours. About three-and- 

 twenty pounds' weight of fish fell to my share that day, 



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