218 EARLY DAWN. 



A venison ham (salt meat is no objection by a river 

 side), a heap of oat cakes, a few hard biscuits, a home- 

 made cheese, some tea, sugar, salt, &c. ; a knife and 

 fork, and a small tin kettle, which answered as teapot 

 as well ; and, of course, a bottle of whiskey. I next 

 went to the stables and gave a boy strict injunctions to 

 have the pony and dog-cart at the door before four 

 next morning. I gave Jemmy, my constant attendant 

 on fishing expeditions, his orders. I then put my rod, 

 reel, &c., in places where I could not miss them in the 

 morning; I filled my pocket-flask; and ordered the 

 servant to wake me at half-past three, when she was to 

 have the coffee ready. After selecting two or three 

 good flies and testing their soundness, and damping a 

 casting line, I swallowed a tumbler of toddy, and was 

 in bed by eleven, in a state of as great comfort as any 

 man could desire to be in. I was in first-rate health, 

 sufficiently tired to insure sleep, with pleasant antici- 

 pations to brood over until it came. 



Almost as a matter of course I was up next morning 

 in time to awake the servant instead of her rousing 

 me, and then the groom, and then Jemmy. After a 

 good deal of impatience and growling at their laziness 

 for it was a beautiful morning for my purpose ; it 

 had rained all night, and was now blowing a stiffish 

 breeze, and not at all decided whether or not to rain 

 again we were on the road before four, and in forty 

 minutes after at the end of our drive, and at the fox- 

 hunter's house. Here all except some terriers, and 

 one or two fowls that looked as if their minds were not 

 at ease, were still in the arms of Morpheus if he can 

 be supposed to pass the night in an atmosphere of 

 peat smoke. A few knocks inside the door (for the 

 inhabitants do not take the trouble to lock them at 



