ANGLING REMINISCENCES. 17 



the generation that immediately follows them, and 

 stretch what remains of their affections towards 

 their children's children. 



Of ourselves (we refer to a period long after the 



extinction of the old Angling Club at C h) 



modesty requires us to say nothing. We could 

 throw a fly, it is true, with some address, and al- 

 ways possessed the art of making our pannier ap- 

 pear respectable. Our abilities, however, sunk into 

 insignificance when brought into comparison with 

 the matured skill of our friend Jack Leister. No 

 one could command a line with less effort or better 

 effect. His flies dropt upon the water with most 

 exquisite gentleness. He had a mode of projecting 

 them, when angling below trees, which we never 

 saw practised by any one else. After describing a 

 quarter circle rapidly on either side of him, at a 

 yard's height from the ground, so that he kept free 

 from any intervention of the upper branches, he re- 

 covered his line in such a manner, that it proceeded 

 directly from his rod across the stream towards the 

 very spot which he intended it to traverse. We 

 could never thoroughly understand the principle 

 upon which this effect was obtained, no propelling 

 force being employed from behind. 



While angling for salmon also, Leister adopted 

 a method, which, without doubt, materially in- 

 creased the length of his cast. He had a custom 

 of drawing in a considerable portion of the line by 

 means of his hand, and allowing it to dart out 



B 



