FIRST EMPTYING. 19 



opinion, freely published, that the water was " poached to 

 death," and there were no trout in it. One of them was 

 stating his views plainly, when his hearer thus broke in, 

 "When was that?" "Why, only this week." "And 

 where ?" " All about the bridge." " Why, bless me," said 

 his friend, " what were you doing ? Brown and Jones and 

 Robinson had baskets of over twenty trout each out of that 

 water that very day." Now, why did not Smith kill a dish 

 of fish ? I will tell you in order that all the family of 

 Smiths may read the lesson here. Because, having a pair 

 of waders on, he must needs use them ; so he waded into, 

 and up and down, and round about, and in and out all the 

 places where fish were lying thickly until he came, waiting 

 only the advent of a man who understood his business to 

 show decent fishing. The moral being that good trout 

 fishing depends quite as much on the fisher as on the fish. 

 It is only too common for practical fishermen to hear those 

 of limited experience come back from a stream that is just 

 stiff with fish and lay it all on the river. 



As to moderate cost there is unlimited scope for difference 

 of opinion on this head. A year or two ago a small party of 

 anglers and men I regret to say of some position turned up 

 their noses at a suggested charge of 55. 6d. per day, all 

 found, at a well-known inn, and marched off indignantly in 

 search of a palatial establishment which might be relied on 

 to do it equally well or thereabouts for four bob excuse 

 the vulgarism. It is a striking indication of the depth of 

 feeling animating an indignant bosom. It has happened in 

 my piscatorial career to pay on one occasion i6s. for two 

 ordinary meals at a Thames-side hostelry, and the sum of 

 is. 6d. at an inn at Clitheroe, in Lancashire, for two meals 

 equally good, and as well served in all respects. 



I know an inn at Crawford, on the Clyde, at which I 

 arrived from Edinburgh one Saturday night some years ago. 

 Charles Keene afterwards used an incident of that night for 



