248 TROUT FISHING 



" There's a fine fish here," and, after a little, " It's 

 gone away now." There are some of us even who 

 have had the evil luck to be assisted by just such 

 a good man in the landing of a fish. I once had 

 to exercise considerable force and to strain a promis- 

 ing, though incipient, friendship in order that I 

 might take the landing-net away from him. He 

 had " jabbed " horribly three times, and I felt that 

 the gut would not stand any more of it. Our parting 

 was not so cordial as I could have wished, but I do 

 not see what else could have been done, and, anyhow, 

 I got the trout. 



It is not so very long since I read in some pro- 

 vincial paper of a police-court case which arose 

 out of the throwing of stones at a float. I cannot 

 remember all the details, but the float was certainly 

 fons et origo mali, and stones were thrown at it 

 with intent. An affray followed because the justly 

 incensed angler was not of the meek kind, and in the 

 end the thrower was mulcted in a sum, to my think- 

 ing, scarcely proportionate to the gravity of his 

 offence. 



Stones, of course, represent a mood in the public 

 mind quite different from the moods which provoke 

 obvious information, unwanted advice, or unskilled 

 assistance. Usually they are symptomatic of youth. 

 Hardly any small boy is without the desire to throw 

 a stone at a float. Even a small boy who is also 



