The Confessions of a 'Poacher. 91 



I'//:,/ 



pheasants, there are few who will do so with 

 regard to salmon and trout. And this is why 

 fish poachers have always swarmed. A sea- 

 salmon is in the domain of the whole world 

 one day ; in a trickling runner among the hills 

 the next. Yesterday it belonged to anybody ; 

 and the poacher, rightly or wrongly, thinks it 

 belongs to him if only he can snatch it. There 



are few fish poachers 

 who in their time 

 have not been anglers ; 

 anglers are of two 

 are those 

 7 and those 

 foul. The 

 first set 

 are phil- 

 losophi- 

 cal and 

 cultivate 

 patience: 

 the sec- 

 ond are 

 pre da- 



there 

 fair, 



