BRITTANY. 213 



was, for the first time in my life, rejected, and he pointed 

 with animated gestures to the fly which I had just drawn 

 up, preparatory to another throw. Understanding his 

 wishes, I thought, I was preparing to satisfy him on this 

 point, as, in the event of meeting with a similar request, I 

 had prepared a quantity of gaudily-coloured mixtures of 

 wool and feathers, with hooks attached to them, one of 

 which I always offered to any curious inspector of my pro- 

 ceedings that I might chance to meet with on my fishing 

 excursions. In this instance, however, my benevolent inten- 

 tions were misappreciated, and, not understanding the object 

 of his desires, I continued to throw my line regardless of his 

 presence, when he suddenly seized hold of the top of my rod, 

 which he broke clean off, evidently with the intention of 

 possessing himself of the actual line and fly with which 

 I was fishing, and which he, doubtless, considered, from what 

 he had observed the evening before, to be enchanted or 

 infallible. 



This was rather too much for my patience and philosophy 

 to put up with, and withdrawing the heavy gaff, which I 

 carried slung across my shoulders, I aimed a blow at him 

 behind the neck, which, unluckily, not only took effect, but 

 the barbed end pierced the lower cartilage of his ear, and, 

 upon falling to the ground, he bled profusely, and began to 

 roar with pain and terror. I now began to repent of my 

 precipitancy, and, knowing the vindictive and savage cha- 

 racter of the Breton peasantry, to dread the results of my 

 rashness. I had not much time for reflection, for suddenly 

 raising himself on his knees, he uttered a loud and shrill 

 whistle through his fingers, which was immediately responded 

 to from a short distance, and to my dismay I beheld, a few 

 hundred yards off, a party all armed with the short sickles 

 used in cutting lande approaching to the scene of our con- 

 flict. What was to be done? Certain death, or at all 



