48 EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 



the stile, and there was this fellow splashing 

 and dashing, jumping out of the water, away 

 up stream, tearing my reel round, down again 

 before I could reel in, now buried in the mud 

 at the bottom, now off to the opposite bank 

 like a shot, maddened, determined at whatever 

 cost to rid himself of the accursed thing stick- 

 ing in his gullet. I am of opinion that shame 

 was the chief cause of his anger ; to think that 

 he, the father of the flock, should be so caught 

 in a trap he had so often knowingly avoided. 

 I allowed him to have his own way for I 

 understood his little ways ; to hold tight when 

 he suddenly springs out of the water is pretty 

 sure to snap something, but the moment he 

 sprang I slackened, and he was outwitted, so 

 I saved my tackle. Gradually, foot by foot, 

 I enticed him down stream till I could safely 

 stoop to pick up my net. By that time he 

 was, I thought, quite exhausted ; but the 

 moment his eye caught sight of the net he 

 knew quite well what it meant. He had seen 

 so many of his relations and friends tumble 

 into a thing like that, to be no more seen by 

 him. He made a last and final effort to be 

 free. My famous little rod was bent double, 



