48 WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE night throughout continued wild and blus- 

 trous ; the squalls which shook the casements became 

 less frequent and violent towards morning ; the wind 

 settled in the south, and dying gradually away, was 

 succeeded by a heavy and constant fall of rain. To 

 stir out of doors was impossible ; the Lodge is unpro- 

 vided with a billiard-table, and it requires ingenuity 

 to contrive some occupation for the long duration of a 

 summer's day. 



The breakfast was prolonged as much as possible ; 

 it ended, however, and my kinsman left me to give 

 some necessary directions to his household. I seated 

 myself in the window ; the view seaward was interrupted 

 by the thickness of the weather, the rain dropped from 

 the thatch incessantly, the monotonous splash of the 

 falling water, with the sombre influence of a dull and 

 torpid atmosphere, gradually produced a drowsiness, 

 and I fell fast asleep over a dull collection of sporting 

 anecdotes. My cousin's return roused me ; he placed 

 a spider-table beside the window, and having unlocked 

 a box filled with angling materials, " in great and mar- 

 vellous disorder," proceeded to extract from a mass 

 of unmentionable things the requisites for dressing 

 a cast or two of flies. As my own voluminous book 

 had been sadly discomposed in the numerous inter- 

 changes I made, when vainly trying to seduce a salmon 

 to try my " tinsel and fine feathers," I proceeded to 

 arrange my splendid collection, while my kinsman was 

 busied with his own simple stock. The disappointment 



