288 ROD AND RIVER 



likely to catch fish if, having made his cast, no 

 matter how clumsy the latter may have been, he 

 were to leave the fly alone and trust to the action 

 of the stream to bring it round. 



I have at times witnessed the most amusing 

 scenes when watching the efforts of some over- 

 energetic novice. One such scene I shall never 

 forget. The hero on that occasion was a very 

 short, apoplectic-looking individual, and blessed 

 with a temper to match. The day was unusually 

 hot and bright ; he had never caught a salmon in 

 his life, and was determined to do or die, and it was 

 quite a toss up whether he did or died. He was 

 armed with a rod of the weaver's beam descrip- 

 tion (small men invariably select the largest 

 weapons), and he had enough line out for any 

 two ordinary men ; this latter being lifted bodily, 

 at full length, off the water after each cast, so 

 nearly knocked him over as to necessitate his 

 running several yards backwards ; and when 

 making the return cast he was again carried 

 forward until he reached the bank, nearly toppling 

 over into the river as he did so. 



After a time I ventured to approach him and 

 make some inquiries respecting his success, and, 

 by degrees, endeavoured to give him the instruc- 

 tion of which he was so sorely in need. Of all 

 the pupils I ever took in hand, he surely was the 

 most intractable at first. The perspiration was 



