PIKE, PERCH, BREAM, AND ROACH 145 



" That's it, year in an' year out. An' yit sum 

 reckined as he was a wusser to deal with. 

 Sum folks is like cats, you'd better not stroke 

 'em wrong way. Now you'd never credit the 

 sorts o' people as ferrits me out at times, an' 

 wants tu cum fishin' along o' me. They finds 

 out where Old Will lives somehow, an' sum 

 on 'em is all right, an' acts right, an' sum on 

 'em don't ; they don't know how. One on 'em 

 asked me more than I knowed, a lot ; leastways 

 more 'an I meant tu tell him. An' he'd got a 

 big flask that he baited himself with middlin', 

 but he never offered me none. If they think 

 as they're goin' tu be told an' showed how tu 

 kitch bream fur nothin', well, they wunt kitch 

 'em. He didn't kitch one ; I took good care 

 of that." 



Some I know eat bream, and consider them 

 equal to flounders ; they are prepared as fol- 

 lows : The fish are scaled, cleaned, sprinkled 

 with salt, hung up to dry all night, and fried in 

 the morning. I do not, however, think those 

 who praised them could have eaten flounders 

 fresh from the tide. When bream are offered 

 to me they are declined with thanks. 



A fishing-rod is, like a gun, very good com- 

 pany ; the sport is one which keeps your eyes 



K 



