WITH ROD AND GUN ON THE MARSHES 25 



" In the gert ode fleet by the sea-wall. Gie I a shillin' 

 for 'un, master." 



" Are there many pike in the fleet, Billy ? " 



'' Ay, if by pipes you means jack-fish ; there are 

 hundreds o' the varmints. But gie I a shillin' for this 

 'un, and I'll get 'ee some more to take back to Lunnon 

 with you." 



"I will give you a shilling to keep away from the 

 water," I replied, handing the young beggar a brand-new 

 coin, which he immediately " christened " and tied up in 

 a piece of old blanket that acted the double purpose of 

 handkerchief and cravat ; then he ran away to send his 

 father to me. 



After listening to the old man's yarns of " diddy little 

 sprats," I sent him off with a " silver hook " and a small 

 cast net to catch some bait from a small pond lying near 

 the centre of the marshes, in which I had noticed a number 

 of small Prussian carp, while I set to work to manufacture 

 a rod from a long bamboo, rings from a piece of stout 

 copper wire, and a line from a fifty-hook band {i.e. a long 

 line set by east-coast fishermen on the sands for flat-fish, 

 eels, etc.) of fine but strong flax. Fortunately, in the 

 pocket of my kit-bag I found an old fly-book, and, as 

 good luck had it, some snap-tackle in fairly good condition 

 lay between the scaly, yellow parchment leaves of the 

 dear old volume. 



Long before my rod-making job was finished, Thomas 

 returned with a bucket of nice-sized Prussian carp. 



It was, however, too late to think of trying for the pike 



