260 THE CURVED MEADOW. 



yellow surface, hardly a foot deep, with the 

 best of the waning light showing up every rise, 

 most of which required an uncommonly long 

 cast. After several refusals, I fortunately 

 decided that the hare's ear was too large and 

 sodden to float well, so cut it off and tied on a 

 small blue quill gnat, which was already 

 attached to a fine point. As with grayling-fishing 

 on drawn gut, this makes one far more careful 

 both in throwing and striking. 



Straight above me, near my own bank, a 

 good trout was rising at intervals : the only 

 drawback being an intervening tussock of grass 

 and weed on which the line would have to rest. 

 Behind, all was clear; so that, provided the fly 

 pitched right the first time, he ought to take it. 

 I edged as near as I could, but being almost 

 in the water was fearfully anxious not to send 

 up a warning ripple, and then threw well above 

 him. He waited for it to come down, and so 

 did I. He took it with unconcern, making a 

 diagonal furrow right across the shallow towards 

 the opposite bank, and was more than surprised 

 at receiving any check whatever. As there were 

 no stakes or holes I deemed best not to be too 

 rough, so kept a very gentle pressure and 

 gradually got Him on a manageable length of 

 line; but found I had overdone matters by 

 winding in the knot of the cast. However, he 

 never jumped from first to last, and was 

 gradually tired down, though I had to wade out 

 to net him over fourteen ounces and well 

 shaped at that. In the same water I lost 



