66 AN ANGLER'S LINES. 



gloomy shadows. Then out once more into 

 open country and the autumn sunshine. 



Round a bend of the canal my destination 

 appeared in sight, whereupon the whip gave 

 forth a perfect volley of deafening cracks, 

 signals of our approach. From the lock came 

 an answer in the rattle and clank of sluices 

 being worked, the Catherine and Ellen hove 

 to outside the closed gates, and the horse 

 availed himself of his brief respite from 

 labour to crop a scanty meal. Inside the lock, 

 I took my leave of the obliging skipper, and 

 stepped ashore . 



Not many yards from where I now stood 

 was the famous roach swim which, during the 

 past few days, had been yielding fish varying 

 from f Ib. to 2 Ib. each, but, as I neared the 

 place, the sight of a roach-pole stretching out 

 over the water told me that I was forestalled. 

 I found the owner, however, on the point of 

 departure, his patience having been exhausted 

 by an hour's fishless efforts. Before going, 

 his companion, a lad of some twelve years, 



