CHAPTER XII 



A PECK OF TROUBLES 



MANY is the wise word (borrowed from better 

 heads) that I have written on the angler, and on 

 what he ought to do or ought not to do. Once I 

 remember I was severe on the folly of forgetting 

 things, not without a sort of righteous pride in the 

 fact that for some time I had forgotten nothing. 

 This was due in part to the working of my new 

 system (whereby everything wanted for a day's 

 fishing is kept in the creel ready), in part to luck, 

 and in part, as I hoped, to genuine mnemonic im- 

 provement. At one time I really thought I had 

 made an end of forgetting, and had some notion 

 even of writing further on the subject. 



I am doing so, but there is, believe me, a difference 

 between this and the might have been. I am not 

 going to blame anybody, not I. Here are some of 

 my recent achievements. One day I went out 

 fully equipped, save for the landing-net sling. Let 

 him who has tried to attach a telescopic, knuckle- 

 jointed net to the inadequate strap of a creel pity 

 me. Let him who, tired of that juggling trick, has 



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