60 AN ANGLER'S LINES. 



speaker's rod bending gracefully in trem- 

 ulous response to the movements of some 

 unseen power down stream 1 - The line 

 shortens as it cuts through the waves, up 

 stream now, then travels rapidly towards the 

 opposite bank. Slowly, reluctantly, inch by 

 inch, it comes back to us, I justify my re- 

 sponsible position, and the unseen power 

 r;e,solv;es itsfellf into a grayling of f lb., a 

 victim to the Alexandra. The raising of the 

 rod is the signal for me to retire hastily once 

 more outside the danger zone. The luxury 

 of idleness, however, is denied me. Another 

 shout, and I am back, and again acquit my- 

 self with credit. This time it is a slightly 

 smaller grayling the Alexandra has lured 

 to its death. The D.F.E. replies to my 

 congratulations with a lament respecting 

 his beloved dry-fly. Such a lack of ap- 

 preciation of what the wet -fly had done for 

 him was to meet with a fitting punishment, 

 for, at the second cast, there came a " crack," 

 pregnant with meaning. Both flies had severed 



