PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



Hotel de 1'Europe, a very comfortable and 

 reasonable house, to take up my quarters for 

 the night. 



When I arose in the morning, I found that 

 the frost had been very severe during the night, 

 and the ice was of considerable thickness. 

 Having nothing else to do, I breakfasted, and 

 again ascended the stream of Etrelles, about 

 two leagues, through a very beautiful valley, 

 extremely well wooded. I had a rod, eight feet 

 and a half long, composed of four pieces, and 

 spliced together with slanting joints. The two 

 lower pieces were of lancewood, the upper ones 

 of logwood. Though it was in appearance but 

 a hand-whip, yet it opened well a line of eight 

 yards and a half. This rod I carried in my 

 portmanteau. 



As the morning was so cold, I sauntered 

 along, admiring the little villages and chateaus 

 with which the valley was studded. In one part 

 of my route, observing a sequestered hamlet 

 environed with trees, I made a deviation to 

 explore it; but no sooner had I got into it, 

 than I was surrounded by about a score of curs 

 of various sizes and shapes, who seemed bent 

 on worrying me. I confess I felt rather alarmed, 

 and took refuge in a hovel, where an old couple 

 lived. The old woman had two dun hens of 

 excellent colour, and I asked her if she would 

 allow me to have a few feathers from them. 

 ' Oh, certainement, Monsieur. 7 And strewing 

 a handful of corn on the floor, she had her 

 flock in the house quickly. I gave her 

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