THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 171 



others ; and of that, the poor that dwell about him have a com- 

 fortable experience. 



And now let 's go and see what interest the Trouts will pay 

 us for letting our angle-rods lie so long and so quietly in the 

 water for their use. Come, scholar, which will you take up ? 



Venator. Which you think fit, master. 



Piscator. Why, you shall take up that ; for I am certain, by 

 viewing the line, it has a fish at it. Look you, scholar ! well 

 done ! Come, now, take up the other too : well, now you may 

 tell my brother Peter, at night, that you have caught a leash of 



do, be sure to fish as close to the bottom as possible, so as the bait does not 

 touch the ground- 

 In angling for lesser fish, the angler will sometimes find it a misfortune 

 to hook a Barbel ; a fish so sullen that, with fine tackle, it is scarcely 

 possible to land one twelve inches long. 



A lover of angling told me the following story : He was fishing in the 

 river Lea, at the ferry called Jeremy's, and had hooked a large fish at the 

 time when some Londoners, with their horses, were passing : they con- 

 gratulated him on his success, and got out of the ferry-boat ; but, finding 

 the fish not likely to yield, mounted their horses and rode off. The fact 

 was, that angling for small fish, his bait had been taken by a Barbel too 

 big for the fisher to manage. Not caring to risk his tackle, by attempting 

 to raise him, he hoped to tire him, and, to that end, suffered himself to be 

 led (to use his own expression) as a blind man is by his dog, several yards 

 up, and as many down the bank of the river, in short, for so many hours, 

 that the horsemen above mentioned (who had been at Walthamstow, and 

 dined) were returned ; who, seeing him thus occupied, cried out, " What, 

 master! another large fish?" " No," says Piscator, "it is the very 

 same." " Nay," says one of them, "that can never be; for it is five 

 hours since we crossed the river." And not believing him, they rode on 

 their way. At length our angler determined to do that which a less 

 patient one would have done long before : he made one vigorous effort to 

 laiid his fish, broke his tackle, and lost him. 



Fishing for Barbel is, at best, but a dull recreation. They are a sullen 

 fish, and bite but slowly. The angler drops in his bait ; the bullet, at the 

 bottom of the line, fixes it to one spot of the river. Tired with waiting 

 for a bite, he generally lays down his rod, and, exercising the patience of 

 a setting dog, waits till he sees the top of the rod move j then begins a 

 struggle between him and the fish, which he calls his sport j and that oeing 

 over.lie lands his prize, fresh baits his hook, and lays in for another. 



Living, some years ago, in a village on the banks of the Thames, I was 

 used, in the summer months, to be much in a boat on the river. It chanced 

 that, at Shepperton, where I had been for a few days, I frequently passed 

 an elderly gentleman in his boat, who appeared to be fishing, at different 

 stations, for Barbel. After a few salutations had passed between us, and 

 we were become a little acquainted, I took occasion to inquire of him what 

 diversion he had met with ? " Sir," says he, " I have had but bad luck 



ippens : it is true 1 like the sport, 

 great delight is in going after them. I '11 tell you what, sir," continued 

 he ; " I am a man in years, and have used the sea all my life," (he had 

 been an India captain,) " but I mean to go no more ; and have bought that 

 little house wliich you see there," (pointing to it,) " for the sake of fishing. 

 I get into this boat," fwhich he was then mopping,) " on a Monday 

 morning, and fish on till Saturday night, for Barbel, as I told you, for that 

 is ray delight ; and this I have done for a month together, and in all thtU 

 while have not had one bite." 



