THE BILLIARD TABLE POOL. 69 



get space to make a cast without being hitched 

 up in the long grass behind, but I parted a 

 narrow lane and made just sufficient room to 

 give the rod play. All this time the three fish 

 rose with fascinating persistence, the rings they 

 made changing immediately into a broken oval, 

 which was carried down over the slippery rock. 



The lower one was on the baulk spot, hardly 

 two rods lengths away, seemingly taking a fly 

 every few seconds with a vicious snap. Would 

 he catch sight of me and be gone, or would 

 the ginger quill attract him? It pitched two 

 feet above him, a movement, a suck, a violent 

 tug, and he came down towards me over the 

 green weed into the deeper water under the 

 wall. So short was the line after being pulled 

 through the rings that it made the grass bend 

 beneath it, and I had to step back on to the 

 rocks below the island to play him. Round 

 he came held hard, for there was plenty of 

 weed large clumps of dock leaves and other 

 obstacles to catch any slack line. Fortunately 

 I had stood up the net among the grass handy 

 enough for sudden usage, and he came open 

 mouthed over it. 



Every second of time was grudged, and while 

 thinking * you are fully three quarters ' as I 

 stepped across and put him on to the bank, 

 my thoughts were with his fellow rising on the 

 pyramid spot. The pleasurable excitement of 

 stepping back into the old position, and again 

 watching for the two other fish to rise, was 

 checked for some minutes by a feeling of 



