10 INTRODUCTORY. 



ma} r not sink into utter insignificance beside that of 

 a more boastful but less veracious companion. Re- 

 turning recently from a day's fishing, which had 

 been cut short by a violent thunderstorm, we en- 

 countered at the railway station a well-known angler, 

 and waited till the appointed time, well pleased to 

 listen to his pleasant stories about angling, holding 

 a foremost place amongst which were tales of his 

 having detected the frauds and impostures of brag- 

 ging brethren. Of his own spoiled sport that day 

 he remarked that he had only caught four trouts, 

 but that they weighed half-a-pouud each. The 

 statement naturally excited surprise and suspicion. 

 Such an " average " in that particular stream was 

 unusual on any day ; and on this occasion, as no 

 trout of that size had come our way, or that of the 

 friends who were with us, we had arrived at the 

 conclusion that the "good ones" were sulking, as 

 they will sometimes do. In the railway carriage 

 the man of half-pounders stuck to his statement, 

 but refused to lead evidence by showing his fish. 

 Aided by our friends, however, we succeeded in 

 temporarily poinding his pannier, and dived into 

 its depths. There, amidst boots, stockings, empty 

 flasks, and sandwich papers, we discovered the 

 concealed trouts. Troutkins, rather not trouts ! 

 half-pounders ! the whole four together would 

 scarcely have weighed half-a-pound. Whether it 

 was a too lively imagination that had caused the 



