DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 127 



witness of the fact that he could cast a fly with or 

 against the wind as bends in the river might 

 demand, could strike the fish lightly, play it with 

 skill and bring it, with head held up, sliding upon 

 its side to where the net was held. 



Success begets such confidence that casts can be 

 ventured between two overhanging boughs, that 

 only inches separate, away on the other side, and 

 the fly made to drop so independently of its attach- 

 ment as to delude the big fish which has its harbour 

 there, while without the success that nerves the 

 arm you may catch a twig and lose a hook. The 

 sport he had thus far enjoyed without mishap was 

 intoxicating, and emboldened him to make casts 

 from difficult positions to such dangerous spots as 

 showed that he dared misfortune, but of course 

 such daring, when continued, has to pay the 

 penalty by loss ; discretion comes afterwards. 



By lunch-time we had twenty-one fish, and, 

 success being assured, the standard was raised to 

 a pound and a half. It only required a moment's 

 thought while viewing the two takes to conclude 

 that a dozen of the best would have been a better 

 picture without the others than with them. 



We were very hungry, and thirsty too. I know 

 nothing of the miseries of hunger for which I 

 desire to be made humbly thankful but I know 

 much of its joys, and the greatest of them is a 

 crust of bread and cheese and a drink of beer, with 

 one eye on half-full creels of November grayling, 

 and the other on the glowing, happy face of a 

 hungry son, who, being in his lusty youth, eats 

 faster and drinks deeper than yourself. 



No one that has tried it can deny the soothing 



