CHAPTER XXII 



THE TROUT IN THE PAN 



I HAVE in my library an old English work 

 upon the ways of trout, to which is appended a 

 chapter upon cookery, the importance of which 

 no outdoor man will question; so I insert with- 

 out further apology such a chapter in "Trout 

 Lore." The article upon cooking in that ancient 

 angling book begins with this naive sentence: 

 "First catch your trout" a sage bit of advice, 

 by the way, as more than one would-be culinary 

 artist can testify. Perhaps it is presumptuous in 

 me to add a word to the sentence of the long-dead 

 monk but I should like to insist that you catch 

 your trout yourself; perhaps that is what he 

 meant. Be it known that only those who have 

 actually learned how to stalk and capture the 

 wily spotted denizens of the swift water and 

 shaded pools, have seen the lissom rod bend peril- 

 ously while the straining gossamer thread sang a 

 song of victory in staccato notes, can appreciate 

 the true flavor of the firm sweet fish. But to 

 come down out of the clouds: Trout cooked 



175 



