136 FISHING WITH THE FLY. 



bell ringing out the hour of nine from the steeple of the 

 church yonder, faintly limned on the evening shadows. 

 Ah ! listen again ! there comes the evening chime. 

 How the quivering notes pulsate up here on these hill- 

 tops ! how silvery the tones ; as the chords of the vesper 

 hymn rings out sweet and clear, our hearts beat in 

 rhythm to the strain ! Lovely vale ! Israel's grandest 

 seer, who with eye undimmed and natural force un- 

 abated, even from Pisgah's lofty heights gazed on no 

 lovelier scene than this we have surveyed. We descend 

 into the shadows ; promising to meet my angling friend 

 some time during the following day, I wend my way 

 homeward and to rest. 



The evening shadows were again falling ere I could 

 join our angler, but the flies were on the waters and 

 roach were fairly jumping, the surface of the stream 

 was alive with fish, both roach and dace breaking water 

 around us. My friend was no novice ; I found him 

 whipping the stream from bank to bank, and his creel 

 testified to his success. He was using a tail fly and 

 dropper, a red hackle for the former, and an imitation 

 of the common blue house-fly for the dropper. These 

 fish are fastidious in their tastes ; they do not rise at 

 flies like a trout, but come to the surface of the water 

 and just break for the fly and at once turn tail up. He 

 who fishes for them must have a quick eye and steady 

 hand ; then he can kill readily enough. They are a 

 toothsome fish, but a trifle bony. Eye and hand must 

 work together, and when fish are feeding they will readily 



