EARLY MEMORIES 47 



nature, caught wrasse of larger size than any 

 others I ever caught in this country, save at the 

 mouth of Dartmouth Harbour, where, six years 

 later, I took some of great weight during a cruise on 

 an uncle's steam-yacht. To Littlehampton I paid 

 another visit eleven years later, which may as 

 w r ell be dismissed here, though out of its chrono- 

 logical order. On that occasion I stayed at that 

 uninspiring port for six weeks, solely to catch grey 

 mullet, and did not catch one. Day after day I 

 was up before the sun and soon busy fishing either 

 in my boat with Pelham, made fast to the east 

 extension works, or out on the beacon in company 

 with a number of gentlemen, who reside in the 

 town and reduce mullet-fishing to a science. I 

 reduced it to nothing beyond the capture of about 

 two hundred undersized bass, wrasse, pipe-fish, 

 blennies and river-eels, live stock in sufficient 

 number and variety to start an aquarium on, 

 but of mullet never a sign. Nor were my visits 

 to Arundel after gigantic bass any happier in their 

 results. On that peaceful, though hurrying, 

 stream I sat through more than one tide with 

 Slaughter, a propitious cognomen which events 

 proved highly inappropriate. A lively dace was 

 pitched on pike-tackle among the reeds, and 

 Slaughter encouraged me with the imminent pros- 

 pect of a bass about a yard long. All, he said, 

 that was necessary was that there should still be 



