IN DIVERS WATERS. 35 



all too coy and hard to please. Small wonder 

 then, that, as I wiped the moisture from my 

 brow, I smiled in derision at the whole pro- 

 ceedings. But the smile was suddenly arrested 

 by the disappearance of my float r and 

 the subsequent necessity for the net. The 

 incident was satisfactory in that it showed that 

 the pike, after all, were not quite indifferent 

 to the delicacies provided for them, but it 

 contributed nothing to my bag, for the fish 

 came lamentably short of the requisite standard, 

 and was not retained. Compelling curiosity to 

 see the " catch " had brought my companion 

 back from down stream, and, in reply to my 

 inquiries, I learned that for him the object of 

 the day's mission had yet to be accomplished. 

 Where the river makes a slight curve he had 

 seen sundry small fry leap high out of water,, 

 but a protracted trial there had yielded him no 

 result. Working slowly down I came to 'the 

 place which he had vacated, when instantly my 

 dace was seized from below. I tightened, the 

 float jauntily reappeared and that was alL 



