THE ANGLERS SOUVENIR. 



267 



buy ne equal to what he is now able to make. 

 The bottom piece is of ash, the second joint is of 

 hazel, and the top is made of a piece of lance- 

 wood, which once formed part of a gig-shaft. 



He sits and Hshes patiently, but, to his astonish- 

 ment, he catches no fish save one little perch. 

 After a while he guesses the cause. A pike must 

 be prowling about, and must be got rid of before 

 the smaller fish will bite. He puts his hand into 

 his large pocket and pulls out a stout line, a largo 

 float, and a wooden reel with a sharp peg attached. 

 He drives the peg into the ground, and lays the 

 line down while he goes to a small pool in a 

 meadow a couple of hundred yards away, where 

 in a few mimites he succeeds in catching a small 

 roach. With this he baits a live-bait hook. Then, 

 throwing in this pike line, he goes patiently on with 

 his fishing, and in less than a quarter of an hour 

 the pike float disappears with a rush as a pike 

 seizes the bait. He gives him plenty of time to 

 gorge, for he has seen many a pike lost by striking 

 too soon, while none are lost by giving them 

 plenty of time. At last he lays down his pipe 

 and takes up the set line. He hauls in the slack, 

 and then, when he feels the line taut, he gives a 

 slight strike to make sure ; and then, with little 

 ceremony for he does not believe in giving the 

 fish too much play he hauls in a pike of fully 

 six pounds in weight. This is a stroke of luck 

 which he did not expect, and he is pleased accord- 



