PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



a half franc, with which she was much pleased, 

 and, driving away the host of collies, she 

 escorted me out of danger. My road lay on the 

 side of the hill which skirted the valley, on the 

 left bank of the river, through immense corn- 

 fields, intersected only by hollow roads, which 

 the heavy rains had made to resemble the dry 

 beds of torrents, being strewed with flint-stones, 

 of which the soil is full, and which, from their 

 knotty and knobbed forms, have a striking 

 resemblance to bones blanched in the sun. 

 Many of the peasants were ploughing, and I 

 stood still some time admiring the dexterity of 

 one man who was cleverly managing a team of 

 five horses without a driver. When I came to 

 that part of the river which I intended to fish, 

 the sun was very bright, and the wind easterly 

 and cold. I tried some time, but saw no evi- 

 dence of a fish being in the water. At last my 

 eyes were gladdened by seeing about half a 

 dozen of my old English friends, the Spring 

 Dun and the Blue Dun, sailing down the 

 stream, and two exceeding good Trout rose at 

 them just opposite to me. A bottom of flies, 

 which had been successful in Dovedale, was 

 soon attached, and after soaking it in the lower 

 part of the stream, I prepared for action. The 

 point-fly was a Spring Dun, the first hanger a 

 Ruddy cock's hackle with a little black Ostrich, 

 and the third, what in Derbyshire is called the 

 Turkey-fly, or large March-brown. I threw 

 over the first fish, and in a moment we were 

 together ; and after a famous battle I landed 

 43 



