52 FISHING IN EDEN 



Have you ever seen a notice standing at the side 

 of the tee to watch a great golfer drive off ?. Well, 

 it was in like manner that I watched " Bob " wade 

 carefully in, and make a few preliminary casts over 

 the water above him. This was carrying out to the 

 letter what he had often told his apprentices. 

 " Nivver alloo yersels, lads, to splash into t' 

 middle et stream reet off. Ye'll often finnd t' trout 

 feeden et edge just where it's shallow and varra 

 tempten to waide. Ye'll be tekken for a toonsman 

 if ye dea that. Them chaps is nivver content with- 

 out they're up to t' top of ther waiders." 



He flicked out several sharp dexterous casts up 

 by the low, near bushes, gradually, at the same time 

 slightly, lengthening his line, and just when he 

 seemed to have satisfied himself on this point, and 

 without, to me, any apparent strike, a trout was 

 drawn quietly into his net. There was next to no 

 sign of disturbance in the water, and very little 

 movement of the body and arms. With a short 

 step upwards and outwards the rhythmic movement 

 of the forearm went on again; so quietly that, 

 if you had not known he was there, he might 

 easily have been mistaken in his faded suit, 

 and at short distance, for a bleached old tree- 

 stump. 



Turning away to my own job it struck me forcibly 



