CHAP. xxvi. Northern India. 403 



down the Rewah road is a dak, or rather a road bungalow, to which, whilst 

 I was stationed at Mirzapore, the courteous engineer never refused entry ; 

 supplies and servants must be taken, as no establishment is kept ; per- 

 mission to occupy the bungalow must be obtained. In the hotter months 

 and rains the shelter is a necessity ; and in the cold weather tents are 

 preferable. The river, the Beylun, is about 30x3 yards from the bungalow, 

 and the best fishing is just above and just below the bridge, an ' Irish ' one. 

 Here, on nth October, my diary reminds me of the capture of a full 12 Ib. 

 fish, and with the recital I give the description of two flies used before the 

 Mahseer was landed. 



" It is four years ago now since I first camped at Buroundah, where 

 the road bungalow is. The river had just cleared, and my bag with a 

 medium-sized' fly, yellow all round except a black feather tail, was three 

 good fish, the largest scaling 3|lbs. This was encouraging, because I 

 have been told I should get no fishing in the district. I changed my fly 

 for one of a larger size, with a dark blue body, broad silver tinsel, no 

 hackle, wing of peacock harl and ' ruffed ' with buff- coloured silk. Three 

 pools below the bridge I was into a good fish, but after the first rush the 

 line came away slack. He had gone, quite a yard of good stout salmon 

 gut and a good fly lost. It was late, so we (a friend had joined me) went 

 back to camp. 



" Next morning we shot. In the evening my double-handed trout rod, 

 a beauty, with treble gut, was sailing a fly over the first pool under the 

 bridge. The fly was a large one, as I now knew heavy fish were to be got, 

 but until close on dusk there had not been a rise. Three good pools fished 

 from both banks resulted in blanks, but I sat down and chose a fly as nearly 

 as possible similar to the one I had lost, and soon felt myself safe in some- 

 thing good, I shouted with joy, and my chum S. soon came up. We had to 

 light a lantern, and by its aid at last I landed my first, and, alas, my last 12 Ibs. 

 in the Beylun. Unhooking him, we found the fly he had carried off the day 

 before firmly fast in him, and the gut trailing. 1 have never seen such a 

 thing happen before. It was rather curious, too, that a fish should, after 

 being struck the day before, remain about the same rapids ; but I am one 

 of those who do not believe the finny tribe are very sensitive about the 

 mouth. I wish I could give coloured plates of the flies that are killing, but 

 I cannot even draw. From Buroundah we returned to Lallgunj, and here 

 a pretty fair bag of trout rewarded us. The little stream is ' little indeed/ 

 Sometimes almost running dry, but half pound trout on a very light Castle 

 Connel rod was not bad fun, and over six brace was our reward. 



" Let us return to Buroundah. The rapids below the bridge end in a 

 very deep pool and long one, full of alligators, but if you have time follow it 

 down and you enter the Allahabad district, famous for pig sticking, good 

 for gaiety, and noted for a charming club and a charming secretary. Many 

 runs have I had with him. I would they could be multiplied indefinitely. 



2 D 2 



