160 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



given anything to be able to stop it without hurt- 

 ing poor Elie Fladvad's feelings. The " interval for 

 refreshment " occupied about an hour of valuable time 

 at the very best part of the afternoon, and we sus- 

 pected that the " widow's mite " so generously proffered 

 unnecessarily consumed a good deal of her substance, 

 and put her to considerable trouble. However, we 

 never could hit on any way to stop the unwelcome 

 courtesy without seeming churlish, and I am glad to 

 say we kept up the appearance of surprise and delight, 

 and greeted our " benefactor" with grateful smiles to 

 the end of our stay. 



What days and nights we spent, and what 

 numbers of fish we caught in that inexhaustible pool. 

 Two long evenings spent there stand out in my re- 

 collection as among the most delightful of my fishing 

 experiences. Before me I have a photograph of the 

 catch we made on the first of these occasions, 24th July 

 1906, or rather of a portion of the catch, for unless 

 my memory deceives me we left as usual a goodly 

 number at the farm. It portrays Lort Phillips in the 

 centre, Major Darby Griffith on the right, and myself 

 on the left, sitting with rods, gaff, and net behind 

 thirteen fish laid out on a board at our feet. The 

 largest trout, caught by Lort Phillips, weighed nearly 

 twelve pounds ; and referring to my diary I find that 

 I got one of nine pounds, one of six and a half, and 

 another of four. It would be tedious to recall all the 

 details, but the masterly way in which Lort Phillips 

 landed his twelve-pounder in the small hours is worth 

 putting upon paper. It was past 2 A.M. ; we had 

 done enough for honour and glory, and Darby Griffith 

 and I were already in the boat about to walk to the 



