194 



THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



the bait in the canal, walking slowly the while 

 along the bank. In this way we had formerly 

 taken many small jack, from two to four pounds 

 in weight, and ere long we found that we could 

 repeat the old performance. Cunningly guiding 

 the glittering bait along a lane of water between 

 two masses of weed, a jack darted out from under 

 one of them, and hooked himself fast. He was 

 three pounds in weight, and our fly-rod gave a 

 decent amount of play ere he was grassed, or, to 

 speak more correctly, gravelled. The next capture 

 was a little larger, and came from beneath the 

 stonework of a bridge, and further on still a 

 smaller one was brought to book. It was a pretty 

 sight to see the fish dart and rush in the air-clear 

 water, and dive under the green weeds. 



In this manner we walked along the canal until 

 the scene grew very wild and picturesque. Closo 

 on the left the river foamed over its rocks and 

 its salmon weirs ; on the right the canal became 

 narrower and deeper, and the rocks overhanging 

 it on the other side were fringed with ferns, laced 

 with brambles, and cushioned with moss. Beyond 

 the canal a long slope of green mountain arose, 

 thickly dotted with gracefully drooping birches. 

 Down that glen flows a capital trout brook, and, 

 if you were to follow it upwards, you would come 

 to the splendid ruins of Yalle Crucis Abbey, an 

 in a pool in a garden hard by you would see some 

 gigantic trout swimming about in pampered pride. 



