48 The Amateur Poacher 



from weeds and of some little depth, soon disturbs the 

 bottom. But the tube can be inserted in the smallest 

 clear place, and interferes with nothing. 



Each of us carried a long hazel rod, and the handle 

 of a 'squailer' projected from Orion's coat-pocket. 

 For making a * squailer ' a teacup was the best mould : 

 the cups then in use in the country were rather larger 

 than those at present in fashion. A ground ash sap- 

 ling with the bark on, about as thick as the little 

 finger, pliant and tough, formed the shaft, which was 

 about fifteen inches long. This was held upright in 

 the middle of a teacup, while the mould was filled with 

 molten lead. It soon cooled, and left a heavy conical 

 knob on the end of the stick. If rightly thrown it was 

 a deadly missile, and would fly almost as true as a 

 rifle ball. A rabbit or leveret could thus be knocked 

 over; and it was peculiarly adapted for fetching a 

 squirrel out of a tree, because, being so heavy at one 

 end, it rarely lodged on the boughs, as an ordinary 

 stick would, but overbalanced and came down. 



From the outlook of the oak some aspen trees 

 could be seen far up in the withy-beds ; and it had 

 been agreed that there the first essay of the stream 

 should be made. On arriving at these trees we paused, 

 and began to fix the wires on the hazel rods. The 

 wire for fish must slip very easily, and the thinner it 



