



A DAY UP THE RIVER. 103 



eye to business that he was watching the 

 unloading of some dusty and travel-soiled 

 ponies from the westward, laden with Con- 

 namara woollens. If there is one article of 

 dress more peculiarly adapted to the fisher- 

 man than another, it is the soft, loose, elastic 

 Connamara stocking, guiltless of the loom, 

 knitted by the peasantry, and redolent of 

 turf smoke. In this article the whole party 

 of fishermen invested their capital to a large 

 amount; for, as the Captain afterwards re- 

 marked, it was quite a pleasure to be wet 

 through in them. 



The most animated figure on the scene 

 was the Scholar. Thoroughly disgusted at 

 the apathy and laziness of his companions, 

 he had gone down, rod in hand, to try what 

 is called the Flag Throw. This is the rapid 

 that divides Rose Isle from the left bank. 

 It is fished from the flat slab of rock men- 

 tioned in the last chapter, and is very much 

 the pleasantest and easiest fishing, besides 

 being the least influenced by weather, of any 

 throw in the river. 



Across the head of it is a ford, affording 

 the means of reaching the right bank. The 

 ford is formed by a solid, flat, gritty slab of 



