WEATHER AND WIND 257 



gate bridge, through a bed of withies (in each of 

 which the aggravating rod manages to entangle 

 itself), and so to a plank across a carrier. Up this 

 the eye travels, for it is a pleasant sight on such a 

 day, its water being cool, clear, and, above all, 

 shaded. Happy thought ! Why not follow it up ? 

 There must be trout in it, for all such streamlets 

 in a chalk stream country hold trout, if only they are 

 permanent and not mere channels of temporary 

 irrigation. Trout or no, one thing is certain; this 

 little tree-shaded rush-girt brook is the coolest 

 place within miles, and that alone is inducement 

 enough to explore on such a day. 



There are some signs of fish, too. Waves in all 

 directions prove it, waves caused by the appearance 

 of the angler's head over the rushes at the first 

 corner. The advance was most cautious, too, with 

 nothing sudden about it. If you want to look for 

 a trout, you must move very slowly, and the rule 

 was carefully observed, yet there are the waves to 

 show failure. Ah, there is a fish 1 Its forked tail 

 and slim shape show it to be a dace, which explains 

 matters. Dace in the first place have bad con- 

 sciences, and in the second swim in companies, 

 which makes them harder to approach in such a 

 small stream than trout. Many pairs of eyes give 

 them an advantage. Once disturbed, however, 

 they are not necessarily uncatchable as a trout 



