A CONTRAST IN THAMES ANGLING 113 



the punt for five or ten minutes after he had been 

 turned out of the net, he certainly did present a strik- 

 ing picture of pale bronze colouring and comely shape. 

 A couple of hours passed by without either myself 

 or my friend being fortified by a knock, and by that 

 time we had run through the history of the occupants 

 of every one of the country houses within view of the 

 river at the place where we were pitched. It was now 

 two o'clock in the afternoon, and the cold had increased. 

 We discussed the possibilities, and both of us resigned 

 ourselves to fate, deliberately arriving at a conclusion, 

 almost in resolution form, that we were to have no 

 more sport that day. Hawkins, however, would not 

 hear of such a thing. He said the fish were there, and 

 the fish would come on to bite sooner or later. Then 

 he consulted us as to the advisability of shifting the 

 position a little, and we agreed that if he could do so 

 quietly perhaps it would be well to drop down so that 

 the punt would be a little below rather than above 

 the pollard willow. 



This was done and with immediate effect, for our 

 leger lines had scarcely reposed to their mission on the 

 river's bed before both rods were wagging their Jieads. 

 At one and the same time, and apparently keeping 

 time, the tops of those rods told us that we might 

 both expect a fish. We struck simultaneously ; in 

 unison we shouted " I've got him ! " and we were each 

 engaged with a fish that we knew to be not small. As 

 a rule you prefer when in a punt to catch alternately 

 with your friend ; that is more like cricket, and indeed 

 there is nothing more risky, unless both anglers are 

 remarkably cool, than two lively fish being played in 

 so small a space. Whether it is that they have a 

 sympathy with each other, whether it is that the one 

 suspects that he has got into trouble owing to some 



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