PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 57 



lively upon his old vocation as the only source of 

 comfort and relief. Multitudes of other heavy 

 hearts and aching brains have found like relief 

 from the same source of harmless diversion. 



These distinguished anglers had had grand suc- 

 cess. It was Judge GRAY'S first visit, but having 

 had long experience in the minor departments of 

 the art, he found but little difficulty in acquiring 

 the higher skill which the more complicated work 

 of salmon-fishing requires. He had numerous 

 trophies to exhibit in proof of the success which 

 had attended his maiden efforts, and he referred to 

 them with as much enthusiasm and, I doubt not, 

 with far more satisfaction, than he had ever re- 

 ferred to any of his most noted triumphs in the 

 line of his profession. It is never in a spirit of 

 mere boasting that a true angler alludes to his 

 achievements, but because of the simple pleasure 

 which, like the old soldier, he derives from " fight- 

 ing his battles o'er again." To rehearse the inci- 

 dents connected with the capture of some famous 

 fish, is to re-experience the thrilling sensations 

 which accompanied the feat itself. They remain, 

 like the recollections of some pleasant spoken 

 word, or of some beautiful picture, or of some 

 grand scene in nature, a joyous memory forever. 

 He is an unhappy man who has not some pleasant 

 wells of memory to draw upon, if it be true, as 

 8 



