THE BLOODY DOCTOR 103 



the deep reeds I tried, once or twice, to wade 

 through them within casting distance of the water, 

 but was always driven off by the traitorous quaggi- 

 ness of the soil. At last, taking my courage in 

 both hands, I actually got so near that I could 

 throw a fly over the top of the tall reeds, and then 

 came a heavy splash, and the wretched little broken 

 rod nearly doubled up. ' Hooray, here I am 

 among the big ones ! ' I said, and held on. It was 

 now that I learned the nature of Nero's diversion 

 when he was an angler in the Lake of Darkness. 

 The loch really did deserve the term ' grim ' ; the 

 water here was black, the sky was ashen, the long 

 green reeds closed cold about me, and beyond 

 them there was a trout that I could not deal with. 

 For when he tired of running, which was soon, he 

 was as far away as ever. Draw him through the 

 forest of reeds I could not. At last I did the fatal 

 thing. I took hold of the line, and then, ' plop,' as 

 the poet said. He was off. A young sportsman 

 on the bank who had joined me expressed his 

 artless disappointment. I cast over the confounded 

 reeds once more. ' Splash ! ' the old story ! I 



