196 



THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



the weir. We hastened on until we came to a 

 deep pool enshrouded witli rocks and trees, and 

 after sitting for half an hour over a pipe to let 

 our dinner partly digest, we stripped and plunged 

 in the deep pool off the old diving-rock, while 

 the roach of which fish there are too many in 

 the quiet parts of the river darted away from 

 before us iu all directions. An old feat was to 

 scramble to the top of a rapid above the pool, 

 and then to swim downwards in a rush of white 

 water through a narrow gorge into the eddying 

 pool. We did this once again, and thereupon 

 wondered how it was that we did it so often and 

 safely when we were boys. It struck us as being 

 an exemplification of the old proverb that"foola 

 rush in where wise men fear to tread." 



There was but one tiling more wanting to com- 

 plete the old fishing round, and that was soon 

 done. Wading through a shallow part of the 

 river, and carrying our clothes across, we dressed, 

 and clambering through a thicket readied the foot 

 of the canal embankment, and were soon on its 

 banks. Close by was a "basin" or wider space 

 where the canal barges are turned. In this quiet, 

 weedy spot the roach were swimming in hundreds, 

 just the same as if years had not passed since we 

 fished for them before. With a black gnat and a 

 small " coch y bonddu," each tipped with a bit of 

 kid glove, we were soon doing execution among 

 the silver-scaled beauties. They were rising gently 



