80 



and low, and one of the gentlemen, knowing it was all right, 

 said he would accompany me, and fish an hour before throwing 

 the stuff in. I of course said I should be glad of his company. 

 At this time there were about twenty other piscators present, 

 who were laying plans for expeditions against the finny tribe, 

 and the person who was to accompany me said, " G-entlemen, 

 we are going to bait a place in the morning, and I beg to invite 

 you all to a fish supper to-morrow night." Though we shall fish 

 but a short time, I think we can catch sufficient to satisfy you 

 all, so please to remember that supper will be on the table pre- 

 cisely at seven o'clock." "Bosh," "nonsense," "ridiculous," 

 "it won't do," "if I come I shall bring my supper with me," 

 " I will bet a bottle of gin you don't kill ten pounds under the 

 hour," and many more such remarks were made. But the gen- 

 tleman said, " I shall not lay any bets about it, neither do I care 

 for your chaffing. I have said we shall catch sufficient to satisfy 

 all within an hour, and if the fish are not forthcoming at the time 

 I have stated, then is your time to chaif." On the following 

 morning we went to bait the place, and a beautiful morning it 

 was. The water and everything was favourable, and I felt as 

 confident as the gentleman did that we should be successful. 

 Immediately we got to the water we tackled out, and having got 

 the proper depth, I threw in a few worms, then at it we went. 

 Every swim we had a bite, and in less than half a hour we killed 

 eleven of the handsomest Carp Bream I ever saw, each weighing 

 about three pounds. We now baited the place, and returned 

 home quite satisfied with our sport, and that sufficient had 

 been caught to furnish the promised supper. As soon as some 

 of the party got to know that we had returned, they sent 

 several of the largest frying-pans they could get, and many 

 pounds of dripping. Not knowing what number of fish we had 

 brought home, and thinking that we had got few or none, they 

 sent the frying-pans and dripping as a take-off, but these were 

 very useful, and my friend ordered the fish to be cleaned and 

 cooked, and the supper on the table to a minute. As the time 

 approached, a pretty good number of the Angling fraternity 



