1 10 In Pursuit of the Trout 



fifteen yards beyond his punt, and with an 

 unmistakable agony of gesture — his voice 

 would have been lifted in vain in the roar 

 of the weir — begged the intruders not to 

 spoil his water. They instantly appreciated 

 the situation and moored their boat at a re- 

 spectful distance, where they could watch 

 and hear the waterfall without interfering 

 with the sport. There were two men and 

 two pretty girls in the boat, and tea rather 

 than trout was the object they had in view. 

 The girls thought Thames trout-fishing 

 must be very, very dull work, and could not 

 understand how a man could possibly sit with- 

 out agreeable companionship in a punt for 

 hours together, angling for fish that never 

 seemed to rise to the occasion. Fishing, 

 indeed, is one of those things which few girls 

 can understand. We sometimes read of ladies 

 who have had great sport with the may-fly 

 on Hampshire streams, or have landed big 

 salmon on famous Scottish waters. But we 

 rarely hear of one who will fish for hours at 

 a stretch from a Thames punt, content with- 



