266 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. IPART IL 



hook ; thus I join hook and line ; thus I put on my wings ; 

 thus I twirl and lap on my dubbing ; thus I work it up towards 

 the head ; thus I part my wings ; thus I nip my superfluous 

 dubbing from my silk ; thus fasten ; thus trim and adjust my 

 fly : and there's a fly made. And now how do you like it ? 



VIAT. In earnest, admirably well ; and it perfectly resembles 

 a fly : but we about London make the bodies of our flies both 

 much bigger and longer, so long as even almost to the very 

 beard of the hook. 



Pise. I know it very well, and had one of those flies given 

 me by an honest gentleman, who came with my Father Walton 

 to give me a visit ; which, to tell you the truth, I hung in my 

 parlor window to laugh at : but Sir, you know the proverb, 

 " They who go to Rome must do as they at Rome do " ; and, 

 believe me, you must here make your flies after this fashion, or 

 you will take no fish. Come, I will look you out a line, and 

 you shall put it on, and try it. There, Sir, now I think you 

 are fitted ; and now beyond the farther end of the walk you 

 shall begin. I see at that bend of the water above, the air 

 crisps the water a little. Knit your line first here, and then 

 go up thither, and see what you can do. 



VIAT. Did you see that, Sir ? 



Pise. Yes, I saw the fish, and he saw you too, which made 

 him turn short ; you must fish farther off, if you intend to have 

 any sport here ; this is no New River, let me tell you ! That 

 was a good Trout, believe me ; did you touch him ? 



VIAT. No, I would I had, we would not have parted so ! 

 Look you, there was another ! This is an excellent fly ! 



Pise. That fly, I am sure, would kill fish, if the day were 

 right ; but they only chew at it, I see, and will not take it. 

 Come, Sir, let us return back to the fishing-house; this still 

 water I see will not do our business to-day. You shall now, 

 if you please, make a fly yourself, and try what you can do in 

 the streams with that ; and I know a Trout taken with a fly of 

 your own making will please you better than twenty with one 



