PROVING THE RULE 



will be able to recall the situation upon our 

 river which has provoked a digression 

 past praying for. As the water slowly 

 subsided, the theory put forward to ac- 

 count for our ill-success was to receive con- 

 firmation. It became apparent that the 

 trout were far more affected by the threat 

 than the event, by anticipation than actual- 

 ity. At the very height of the flood, when 

 to fish seemed quite absurd, a brace of 

 three pounds, and a little under three, was 

 killed far inland. One thing made for us. 

 The great rain was comfortably warm and 

 no cool weather followed upon it; where- 

 fore the river, dropping in the space of a 

 week to high summer level, and clearing to 

 a rich brown amber, remained always of 

 favourable temperature. 



The first day of falling water yielded us 

 fish of five, three and a quarter, three, and 

 two and a half pounds; and the next 

 four days filled the smoke-house with 

 trout, weighing at least the pound which 

 gave them privilege of record. One of 

 five and a half pounds, the best our scales 

 showed, was gaffed by the hand. This 

 safe manner of landing a good fish may not 

 be familiar to everyone — useful when you 

 are without a net and cannot beach. Trout 

 139 



