COSTA. 55 



would tempt him up again. Then followed 

 fish pricked, or missed altogether, general 

 muddling, and utter vexation of spirit. 



For a visitor to fish Costa on Tuesdays 

 or Fridays, is to incur sundry pains and 

 penalties, so it was not until two days later 

 that I essayed once more to stem the flood of 

 my ill-success. After cracking off my first 

 fly in the preliminary cast, and allowing its 

 successor to fall through my fingers, to be lost 

 to me for evermore, I felt that I was not 

 showing to advantage. A soldier palmer 

 brought me some slight comfort, inasmuch as a 

 brace of grayling had cause to regret its close 

 attentions, but this comfort was much qualified 

 when their size was revealed and which necessi- 

 tated their return to the water. 



In a wind more aggressive than ever, and 

 the consequent agitation of the river, the 

 continued use of a floating, more often an 

 aerial, fly was an absurdity, so I changed to a 

 small March brown, losing two more flies, 

 which were blown away, in the process. The 



