THE ANGLER'S GUIDE. 163 



as they strolled along the road, and that the 

 vulgar should throw out a jeer or two as to the 

 sport in which, they could see by what they 

 carried, they were going to engage. But 

 Rigings always had an answer for them all, 

 for he gave them, according to his own way of 

 expressing it, quite as good as they sent, and 

 sometimes a little better. But every fresh 

 insulter knew not of the retaliation he had 

 made on the last who insulted him, and there- 

 fore they were not deterred by his witty 

 sarcasms, which were sometimes exceedingly 

 cutting, and not at all relished by those who 

 had to bear them. But, as he remarked, they 

 had no right to insult him, and if they had 

 not he should not have made remarks upon 

 them. The fact was, he was very fond of 

 hearing his own speech, and, consequently, put 

 his tongue into motion whenever he could 

 find an opportunity. 



This was the objection Bigings had to him, 

 but upon this occasion he made him laugh 

 so much every now and then that he could 

 hardly walk along the road. They had also 

 been into two or three places for a drop of 

 something short, as the morning was cold 

 and damp; and even Stickings, though a 



