DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 147 



and what he would have given for a sight of it, to 

 give a thought to such a minor matter as tackle. 



The, as yet, untried angler kindly informed his 

 unfortunate brother : 



"You muffed your fish by letting it take line 

 when you should have held to it like grim death." 



" Wait till you get one on like it, if there is 

 another like it in all Cornwall, and then let me see 

 you hold it." 



I could add nothing to this conversation that 

 would be more likely to make those two hold fast 

 to their next fish, so I waited silently. 



It was the fisher at the bow that gave me the 

 next excitement and I ventured to sing out : 

 " Hold to him " ; but the answer I got was from the 

 winch, that was spinning off its coils at such speed 

 that, before sufficient additional check could be put 

 on it, the third fish was amongst the rocks and the 

 line entangled there beyond recovery. 



" Misfortunes never come singly," and are very 

 apt to be with you in threes ; and then again, 

 " Misfortunes are never so great but they might be 

 greater " as I was soon to learn. The two I had 

 started in the first boat came alongside, one of 

 them holding the pieces of a broken rod, and the 

 other with rod erect, but holding in his left hand 

 the end of his running line showing loss, in his 

 case, of trace and worm. There are various ways 

 of giving expression to your feelings at such 

 moments, and there is much that might be said to 

 youths while suffering from their losses, but I have 

 long since learned that but few words are really 

 needed, and that " What hard luck ! " answers best. 



At last the untried fisher had his chance ; he 



