I HE ROACH. 31 



ground-bait you throw in, as a rule, the more 

 roach you will take. With gudgeons the converse 

 will be found to be the case. Having arrived at 

 your swim, a known resort of the roach, taking one 

 " ripeck" in hand, and leaning forwards up-stream 

 as far as you can reach, bringing the iron-shod 

 end almost under the boat, you proceed by a 

 wriggling motion of the arms, requiring some con- 

 siderable strength and more skill, to fix it in the 

 hard bottom, at an angle of something like forty- 

 five against the stream ; then using the fixed pole 

 as a lever, you swing or pass the boat gradually 

 round, walking with the other ripeck to the 

 opposite end, your companion in the meantime 

 tying the rope to that already fixed, and then 

 finishing the operation by tying your own. There 

 is some art even in the simple operation of fasten- 

 ing the ropes. If tied too closely the punt will 

 lift the poles, if not closely enough, its working, 

 from the action of the stream, will loosen the hold 

 on the bottom. The string should be cross-gartered, 

 Malvolio-fashion, and fastened some two feet above 

 the gunwale with a simple half-hitch. 



Your punt being properly pitched, the next 

 operation is to manufacture ground-bait, the 

 materials for which clay, bran, soaked bread, and a 

 few scalded greaves it is assumed, have been pre- 



