AN ANGLING REMINISCENCE. 115 



smoke and a chat, each creel was found to be quite 

 respectably weighted. The fish, as is rarely the case 

 when the water is below a certain temperature, had con- 

 tinued to feed throughout the fore and afternoon, and 

 as there had as yet been no indication of their " knock- 

 ing " off, we resumed our diversion, and before long 

 had filled our panniers. 



As the winter's sun had long sunk to rest, we began 

 to think of retracing our steps ; but before having 

 described a third of the distance that lay before us, 

 one of the party, who was, by-the-way, a bit of an 

 invalid, suddenly discovered himself to be remarkably 

 hungry. The third rodster, being an American 

 tourist, took upon himself the commissariat office. 

 No human habitation appeared within reasonable 

 distance, and how our weakly friend's languishing 

 could be immediately satiated seemed a mystery. 

 We were not long, however, to be left to speculate as 

 to the nature of the expedient to be adopted. Upon 

 the clear hard turf, under the spreading, though now 

 stark branches of an ancient oak, the wood severed 

 by the violence of late storms was arranged and 

 ignited by pipe-lights ; some of the choice medium- 

 sized fish were split and cleaned in the silvery stream, 

 so shortly before their home, spitted upon a two- 

 prong sapling, and, in the glowing embers, were 

 quickly done to a turn. The relish with which they 

 were eaten was significant ; the beautiful aroma 

 imparted to the delicate fare by the oaken embers, 

 was simply delicious. Like the majority of anglers 

 we seldom care for our takes, after having had the 



