BY THE EXE. 115 



flows in the same direction as the stream. Facing this 

 surface breeze, the fly cannot progress straight up the 

 river, but is carried sideways across it This motion 

 the artificial fly imitates ; a trout takes it, and is landed 

 on the stones. He is not half a pound, yet in the 

 sunshine has all the beauty of a larger fish. Spots of 

 cochineal and gold dust, finely mixed together, dot his 

 sides ; they are not red nor yellow exactly, as if gold 

 dust were mixed with some bright red A line is 

 drawn along bis glistening greenish side, and across 

 this there are faintly marked lozenges of darker colour, 

 so that in swimming past he would appear barred. 

 There are dark spots on the head between the eyes, 

 the tail at its lower and upper edges is pinkish ; his 

 gills are bright scarlet Proportioned and exquisitely 

 shaped, he looks like a living arrow, formed to shoot 

 through the water The delicate little creature is 

 finished in every detail, painted to the utmost minutife, 

 and carries a wonderful store of force, enabling him 

 to easily surmount the rapids. 



Exe and Barle are twin streams, parted only by 

 a ridge of heather-grown moor. The Barle rises near 

 a place called Simons' Bath, about which there is a 

 legend recalling the fate of Captain Webb. There is 

 a pool at Simons' Bath, in which is a small whirlpool. 

 The stream running in does not seem of much strength ; 

 but the eddy is sufficient to carry a dog down. By 

 report the eddy is said to be unfathomable. A long 

 time since a man named Simons thought he could swim 

 through the whirlpool, much as Captain Webb thought 

 he could float down the rapids of Niagara; only in 

 this case Simons relied on the insignificant character 



