AND HOW 1 HAVE CAUGHT MY FISH 21 



or the smell of a boiled leg of mutton with turnips, 

 would cause them to lift their noses into the air. 

 They pine unless they can finick for an hour or 

 more with the fully disguised trifles that the French 

 chef prepares from his economically purchased 

 tinned dainties. They love the peculiar odour 

 that comes from the ounce of fish that has a four- 

 ounce coating of batter. 



" A dinner for the gods, Geen," is their descrip- 

 tion of messes dipped by the same fingers into the 

 same batter-tub in which the wee bit fish grew to 

 such a size. They have forgotten the taste of 

 freshly-cut-and-put-in-the-pot greens, cabbage, and 

 cauliflower, as their mothers, with bared arms, used 

 to cook them. When I remember that more than 

 one of these friends came Londonwards from 

 Devon about the time of my coming, I am inclined 

 to say to them : 



" ' Return ye to the ways of your fathers ! ' 

 And this may be made easy ; go with me to 

 Ireland I am going again and sniff its Atlantic 

 breezes and learn to be content once more with 

 good, plain food. There you will be face to face 

 with scenes that no pen can adequately describe, 

 often so stern, wind-searched and wild that Nature's 

 softeners, mosses and ferns, are unknown. 



" At other times our road will lie through moors 

 of sweet-smelling, vari-coloured bell heather, among 

 which only the white variety is missing ; and then 

 down, down into a glen amidst the marsh marigolds, 



