THE BASSES: FRES H-W ATER AND MARINE 



just heavy enough to ripple the pools, and way- 

 ward enough to try the patience and judgment 

 of the angler as to when and where the most likely 

 casts should be made, in which dilemma, however, 

 he was aided by a scud of leaden clouds, chasing 

 each other just above the western horizon, which 

 were sufficiently dense to throw transient patches 

 of shade upon the water. 



The face of the river was as clear and its depths 

 as pure as a mirror, with a rise of about twelve 

 inches during the preceding twenty-four hours, 

 caused by brief but heavy rains in the upper coun- 

 tries bordering upon the water. 



It is an amiable specialty (and a pleasant and 

 favorable one for anglers) of the Schuylkill River 

 never to get roiled, except upon sufficient cause. 

 To make it so requires a heavy freshet, or a con- 

 tinuous rain for days, and it was often noted by 

 the club that the lower river, below Phoenixville, 

 would frequently be very muddy, while at the 

 camp, only six miles above, the water was crystal 

 in its color and purity. 



The Doctor, somewhat afraid of rheumatism, 

 was the only one of the three who wore a wad- 

 ing-suit; the others donned their last winter's cast- 

 off clothing, woollen drawers and undershirts, with 

 woollen stockings coming over the knees, and 

 Government brogans thickly studded with hob- 

 nails. 



84 



