46 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



trout means wisdom. Trout that have cut their 

 wisdom teeth are in little danger from man's tempta- 

 tions excepting only when they are as mad as mad 

 can be. The May-fly week is your only chance on 

 many rivers and then the biggest fish seem the 

 maddest, but a Thames trout has lived in such 

 luxury from his cradle up that no fly moves him 

 nor any particular season. You must get him on 

 the rush, when in pursuit of food, by some antic of 

 your lure that shall attract his attention beyond all 

 else that flees from him. There is just one other 

 chance ; and that is when he has come from out 

 his haunt and risen high to mouth with gusto the 

 freshened water of a weir-fall. He may be tempted 

 then to seize a bait that is being tossed and swayed 

 here and there, while the attachments that hold 

 it are hidden in the confusion of bubbling water. 

 Perhaps, without a thought of feeding, he may be 

 irritated by the frivolous movements of the little 

 fish so near his aristocratic nose and snatch in 

 temper at such seeming impudence. No sport 

 resulted from my efforts beneath the trees but, 

 while making them, I had twice to run to assist my 

 fisherman to land first a barbel and then a chub. 



There was a perfect little tumble of water at 

 the clay bank corner that invited a trial, and it was 

 there I got the excitement of the day. A fish 

 seized my bait with a tug that thrilled through me, 

 and its deep dive and rush gave hope, strengthened 

 each moment by my powerlessness to stay his 

 course, that I had a trout. To add to my chances 

 of a successful issue to the struggle, the course the 

 fish had taken enabled me to round the corner 

 of the weir and go some distance along the high 



