168 WHAT I HAVE SEEN WHILE FISHING 



We regretted having to pass Crolly Bridge and 

 its inviting river, from which friends of ours had 

 got good sport a few days previously, while a sight 

 of the Claudy River and Gweedore almost made us 

 alter our fixed plans and give it just a two days' 

 halt. 



At times the engine gave noisy evidence ot 

 steep climbing which ended in our being lifted to 

 great heights, whence we could view the country for 

 many miles, yet, look where we would, we saw no 

 signs of life other than the heather, which bloomed 

 everywhere, a perfect wilderness of flower. Down 

 these peaty, heather-scented hills there wound and 

 tumbled a stream that made a silver streak as far as 

 the eye could reach. Lacking in life, it all seemed 

 unreal until, looking upwards to the heights, I spied 

 a solitary fisherman. He looked so quaint and 

 lonely on his high perch that had he had wings they 

 would have seemed quite appropriate. Surely his 

 friend, although invisible to us, must have been 

 near ; joys, such as his were, are only half enjoyed 

 unless they find an echo in the joyous heart of some 

 dear old chum. 



While he had climbed slowly and with noisy 

 efforts to giddy eminences we appeared to rush 

 headlong down the deep incline ; at any rate, we 

 were soon at Creeslough, where quite another kind 

 of scene awaited us. 



There was a little crowd of people on the plat- 

 form ; some were dancing to the music of a con- 



