THE RECTOR'S POOL. 143 



him to my assistance. He came and stood in the 

 watering-place below ; and I above. He, deceived 

 in his low position as to the weight and size of the 

 fish, kept teazing me, " Press him in, sir ; press 

 him; he's not above eight or nine pounds; you'll 

 never land him ;" and I retorting, " I see the fish, 

 I hold the rod;" and 'twas well I did, he con- 

 fessed. 'Twas Llanrwst fair, and folks were in 

 plenty about the town, and a hundred or more 

 were now witnessing the sport, many for the first 

 time in their lives. At last, after trying his pa- 

 tience and exercising my own, round to Llewellyn 

 I brought my fish. True to its work went the 

 tempered insidious gaff, and out on shore, for the 

 first time since its birth, shone the silvery scales of 

 the glorious prize ; out came the weighing-ma- 

 chine ; down went the pointer to eighteen pounds ! 

 " Eh ! what a saamon ! hurrah !" sang the crowd. 

 "Thanks," thought I; and off I marched in 

 triumph at having caught so goodly a fish, and 

 at having gratified so many in the act. 



