A NEAT CATCH ON THE LATHKILL 125 



that's worth catching. He's a sort of a pet of mine ; scores 

 of people have tried for that fish, but he's too artful for them. 

 Give him a try, sir." I looked at the spot ; the fish was rising 

 regularly, sucking in every fly that came down ; but I had no 

 doubt that he could see us perfectly where we stood, as the 

 water was entirely open, and the fish could not be approached 

 from below, without one's being seen. It was evident that he 

 always was thus fished for ; and as, when he rose, he could see 

 everything for thirty yards or more away, the instant a line 

 fell on the water of course he was up under the bridge out of 

 harm's way. I shook my head, and declined to make a spec- 

 tacle of myself for the keeper's amusement ; but I took a 

 look at the place, both above and below bridge, and told the 

 keeper, perhaps half in bravado, that I would catch his fish 

 as I returned. The keeper grinned mighty incredulously, and, 

 having pocketed his tip, wished me good morning. Now, 

 just above the bridge, and certainly not above five or six feet 

 or so above it, there was a fall or dam of some two or three 

 feet, and as I looked at it, it struck me that I might, by manage- 

 ment, get my fly over the fish without his seeing me. On my 

 return, therefore, I stopped wide of the bridge, and above it ; 

 and after measuring the distance carefully by one of two 

 preliminary casts, I cast as far as possible over towards the 

 farther side of the arch, in the space between the fall and the 

 bridge, and giving all the line I could, I let it sweep round 

 under the arch, chancing the fact of the trout being at home, 

 as I did not dare to look. Sure enough he was at home, and 

 just as my fly was sweeping down towards a straight line I felt 

 a gentle touch, which I answered with a turn of the wrist, and 

 a nice time I had of it, for up he bolted into the fall, and a 

 pretty jiggering match he gave me. Finding that I was not 

 to be trifled with, he rushed down under the arch, but it was 

 of no use, for in due time I basketed him, and I had hardly 

 done so and moved onwards, when the keeper came towards 

 me again. I saw him glance at the place where the fish usually 

 rose : " Ah," I said, " it's of no use for you to look there for 

 him, keeper ; you'll never see him make circles there any more. 

 I told you I'd catch him, and here he is." The keeper looked 

 at the fish, and his bump of veneration, I could see, was 

 greatly enlarged. Evidently he thought me a dangerous 

 customer, and well he might, for I made his finny charges 

 stand and deliver to a very considerable amount before I felt 

 them. I never told him how I had circ /i vented his pet, 



