A MORNING'S FISHING. 23 



the metal of the male ferrules lightly with the piece 

 of soap which he brought. That will prevent them 

 sticking when the time comes to take the rod to 

 pieces again. Care must be taken in putting the 

 rod " up," as it is called, to get all its rings in line 

 with one another. Next the reel is put on, with its 

 handles on the right side of the butt, as I said 

 before, and then the line is drawn off between the 

 first and second bars of the reel (or through the 

 line-guard, if the reel has one instead of bars) and 

 threaded through the rings. No ring should be 

 missed a point worthy of insistence ; it is very 

 easy to miss one, and the result is often vexatious, 

 as the line refuses to run properly, and sometimes 

 gets hitched up round the missed ring. Also the 

 line should not anywhere be twisted round the rod ; 

 that happens sometimes through haste or inadver- 

 tence, and the temper suffers in consequence. 

 When the line is threaded a loop may be tied at its 

 end, to which the cast can be attached in the same 

 manner as the hook was attached to the cast. 

 Then the net is screwed into its handle, if this has 

 not already been done, and, lastly, the cast is 

 retrieved from the water, looped to the line, and 

 the engines of war are ready. 



The next requirement is the plummet, which is 

 to find the depth of the water. It is put on by 



