HUY. 225 



hooked on to him with the iron handle of his hunting-whip, 

 and drew him half-drowned to the opposite bank. 



It was amusing to see the curious mixture of rage and 

 fright he exhibited in his dripping garments and deranged 



coiffure, and still more so to hear A uttering mille 



excuses, and assuring the unfortunate commis that he never 

 should have attempted the passage had he not imagined that 

 monsieur was quite as much aufait at swimming as galloping, 

 which was an exercise of daily occurrence to himself. I 

 believe he put down my friend in his own mind as a con- 

 firmed madman, as he made the best of his way from the 

 chateau without stopping to dinner, or even effecting a sale 

 of his wine. 



The river Ourthe in this neighbourhood is not essentially 

 a trout stream, although some large trout frequent the 

 weirs and falls ; but pike, large perch, and other fish peculiar 

 to still and deep water abound. 



I observed particularly in some places great quantities of 

 barbel, some very large ; and with old Thames reminiscences 

 fresh in my memory, although the fish is nearly worthless for 

 the table (even when dressed according to old Izaak's receipt), 

 I determined to catch some. Fitting up some strong tackle, 

 I commenced operations with lob-worm and ledger, but with 

 no success, the only fish I caught in this manner being some 

 eels. I then tried fine tackle and gentles, but with the same 

 result, merely catching roach and dace, with now and then 

 a perch. As a last resource I determined to make a trial of 

 the bait so much used for this fish by Thames fishermen, 

 and having procured some greaves from a candle manufac- 

 tory in the nearest town, I baited a deep hole in the weir 

 the preceding night with balls of clay mixed with greaves, and 

 commenced fishing with the same bait at an early hour on the 

 following morning. I was rewarded for my perseverance, for 

 rarely, if ever, I suppose, did any barbel fisherman meet with 



