Duck-shooting in Wermland, Sweden. 67 



appearance of having originally been a fish stew ; and this favours 

 the supposition that a cloister originally stood on this mound, for 

 we know that the old monks in all ages were desperately fond of 

 fish. This hole is now fringed with reeds all round higher than a 

 man's head, and choked up in all parts, save the bottom, with thick 

 cow-docks and waterlilies. It is, in fact, the very place of all others 

 where a large pike would lie j and my poaching experience in the 

 still waters of our midland British streams told me so the very first 

 time I saw it. No one had ever thought of wetting a line here j I 

 was at once determined to try it, and the first night I had thirteen 

 lines out with nice lively bait, and the result next morning was 

 three pike, the one eight pounds, the other two about five pounds. 

 This looked very promising. The next night I got another of eight 

 pounds, and a smaller one about two pounds. The latter was dead 

 on the hook, and when I took it off I saw its sides were mutilated, 

 and scored here and there as if cut through to the bone with a 

 razor. I knew " my gentleman " was now at home, and the very 

 next night I baited with the largest and liveliest roach I could get, 

 and went next morning to take my lines up with every anticipation 

 of great success. However, it was a blank one fish of about 5lb. 

 was all we got. I did not visit the swamp again for a week, 

 and on that day, strange to say, although we fished for some time, 

 we could not catch a bait longer than three inches. These I fancied 

 were no use, and thought it hardly worth trying, but luckily a 

 fellow rowed up in a boat who had been taking up a long chain 

 line which had been out all night, and in the bottom of the boat lay five 

 or six half-rotten roach of three-quarters of a pound to one pound 

 each. I got a few of these, and laid out seven lines. In the morning 

 as soon as we spritted into the hole I saw one of the trimmer-sticks 

 drawn fast into the candocks ; and whilst I was thinking whether I 

 had laid out a line in that spot, I was startled by a splash close to 

 the stick, just as if you had thrown a dog in. We got to the place 

 as soon as we could, and then I saw such a pike standing in the 

 water, with his head to the boat (the trimmer hook just in the side 

 bone of the jaw, and the line wrapt round the candocks), as I 



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