ifc> LINES IN PLEASANT PLACES 



necessitating left-handed casting, but giving perfect 

 command of about 60 yards of stream, which was for 

 a while sure holding ground, since it was deepest at 

 the foot of the rocks. 



" Sarcelle " had his first experience of a fish on the 

 Mandal river from this place, and it was rather un- 

 fortunate. If I remember rightly, it was Sunday 

 evening, and in a shame-faced sort of way we had gone 

 out at seven o'clock to fish. The grilse were then run- 

 ning, and, as they are here to-day and gone to-morrow, 

 and I had already discovered that they did not linger 

 long in our parts, it was almost a duty not to allow a 

 day to pass without an attempt. " Sarcelle " had 

 adventured upon a Mayfly cast with a fly of sea trout 

 size as dropper, and in point of fact a sea trout fly at 

 the end. I was sitting down filling a pipe when he 

 made his first cast, more by way of wetting his line 

 than anything else, and " I've got him " brought me 

 to my feet, only in time to see a grilse bend the rod 

 and then break away. At the next cast a salmon 

 came, took one of the small flies, made a thrilling run, 

 and then snapped the collar. 



Even after this mishap " Sarcelle " killed his grilse 

 and lent me his rod to try for another. We had an 

 example that evening of the way in which fish are 

 made shy. " Sarcelle " had the first turn down the 

 pool, and, besides losing two and catching one, he rose 

 several others, three or four of them showing away 

 on shallow water that was rippling merrily, but that 

 was quite out of the orthodox limits of the run. I had 

 the second turn down, rose two, hooked one, and killed 

 one. " Sarcelle " had the third handling of the rod, 

 and killed one fish without moving any of the others. 

 The place that evening seemed to be alive with grilse, 

 and there was an undoubted salmon that had escaped 



