THE WELSH BORDERLAND 



four miles of excellent rapid-water trouting with 

 the owner non-resident. The agent, though other- 

 wise a sportsman, was no angler, but he had sound 

 and benevolent ideas as to giving local people the 

 preference in regard to the two or three days a year 

 permission he proposed to grant to a reasonable 

 number of applicants. He was quite liberal, sensible, 

 and well-intentioned. ' The trouble is,' he said, ' to 

 fit them in,' and turning to his notes remarked, 

 ' Here, for instance, Jones wants to come on the loth, 

 and so does Brown, which is awkward. And now, 

 what days would you like ? (I was a candidate, and 

 though not a local, had some equivalent claim). I 

 have Thompson down for the I4th and iyth.' * I 

 don't care a hang,' I replied, ' so far as I am concerned, 

 whether Brown, Jones, or Thompson are fishing the 

 water concurrently. There is plenty of room for 

 half a dozen rods, to say nothing of a couple in four 

 miles, and I am quite certain that these other in- 

 dividuals, if they are fishermen of reasonable know- 

 ledge and sanity, will be of the same mind. I don't 

 want four miles all to myself. On the contrary, it 

 would be far more interesting to me if there were one 

 or two other rods out.' I don't think my friend saw 

 it, though ; I don't suppose he ever will, but will 

 continue, no doubt quite conscientiously, to give him- 

 self no end of superfluous trouble, as well as frequently 

 to inconvenience many of his beneficiaries. 



This naming of days is in truth an absurdity, and 

 most unfair to the nominees, unless, of course, it is a 

 very small stretch, which is rarely the case when these 

 formalities are necessary and tickets printed. The 



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