160 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN 



of the nature and habits of the trout, and discovered that every 

 large trout keeps a space of the water as a beat for himself, 

 and when intruded on by another fish immediately attacks, and 

 drives him off. When the water-meadows were reflooded after 

 the removal of sheep, and the trout from the river ascended 

 the narrow ditches to feed on the small red worm collected 

 by the presence of the flock, I used to tickle them, as it is 

 called, and having captured them they were put into the lake. 

 This I rather over-did; for I so filled the lake that the con- 

 dition of the trout became impaired, though the angling was all 

 the better. In addition to the tricks played by my landlord as 

 to furniture and other things, I found to my cost he had leased 

 to me a portion of the river to which he had not the slightest 

 right. No one was good enough to explain this to me at the 

 first onset, and every one for a time abstained from fishing in 

 the river, and, by so doing, favoured the error into which my 

 landlord had led me : however, one day my keeper, John Savage, 

 came running breathless into my room, to say that a number of 

 men were dragging the river with a net. I asked him why he 

 did not seize the net ; and he replied, " They were so many." 

 Having told him that hostile numbers, where a man was in the 

 right, went for nothing, I hastened to the river, followed by him, 

 my butler Cratchley, who had succeeded my old servant Eary, 

 then dead, and two labourers named George Target and James 

 Dewy, who afterwards became the best gamekeepers I ever 

 knew. As I came in sight of the river there was evidently 

 a misgiving in the minds of some of the party as to the 

 maintenance of peace, or their success in war, for I saw several 

 point-nets ascend the bank from the water, and fly into the 

 opposite woods of Mr. Penruddocke. When we reached the 

 bank there might be about five or six men left still in possession 

 of the drag-net. I jumped into the river, followed by my three 

 men ; the butler evidently thinking that water was not his 

 place (had it been wine it might have been different), remained 

 on the bank. A great stout carrier was the first man I got hold 

 of ; and finding that he kept the rope twisted round his hands, 



