116 A DAY UP THE RIVER. 



" Pretty well this," said the Squire, " for 

 the man who cannot abide an otter or a 

 cross-line ! Is this what you call fair 

 fishing ?" 



" Well, this is a regular salmon river," 

 said the Captain, in some confusion ; " sal- 

 mon are the fish here ; the trout are nothing 

 but vermin. Of course I would not do it in 

 a trout stream ! Besides, if we do not poach 

 a little on such a day as this, we stand no 

 chance of a fish for dinner." 



" You need not be making excuses to me," 

 said the Squire ; " I am very tolerant of such 

 poaching, and tolerant by deed as well as by 

 word. But I do like consistency ; and to 

 show you how consistent I am myself, I do 

 not mind if I go down and assist at the cere- 

 mony : that is to say, in the French sense of 

 the word. I mean to assist by smoking my 

 cigar on the bridge and looking on." 



"And I will assist you in the English 

 sense of the word," said the Scholar, " by 

 getting into the water and helping you to set 

 up the nets and drive the fish." 



" Come along, then, my brave Briton ! 

 That is the assistance I want. The devil 

 take all Frenchmen and their devices!" 



The Captain's plan had, at all events, the 



