AND GLEANINGS. 25 



habitual smile ; his iron grey locks hung about 

 his ears. I soon fell into conversation with the 

 old angler, and was so entertained, that under 

 pretext of receiving instructions in his art, I kept 

 company with him almost the whole day. On 

 parting, I enquired after his place of abode, and 

 happening to be in the village a few evenings 

 afterwards, I had the curiosity to seek him out. 

 I found him living in a small cottage, containing 

 only one room, but a perfect curiosity in its 

 method and arrangement. It was on the skirts 

 of the village, on a green bank, a little back from 

 the road, with a small garden in front, stocked 

 with kitchen herbs, and adorned with a few 

 flowers. The whole front of the cottage was 

 overrun by a honeysuckle ; on the top was a ship 

 for a weather-cock. The interior was fitted up 

 in a truly nautical style, his ideas of comfort and 

 convenience having been acquired on the berth 

 deck of a man-of-war. A hammock was slung 

 from the ceiling; from the centre of the chamber 

 hung the model of a ship, of his own workman- 

 ship ; two or three chairs, a table, and a sea- 

 chest, formed the principal moveables. About 

 the wall was stuck up naval ballads, pictures of 

 sea-fights, amongst which the battle of Camper- 

 down held a distinguished place. His implements 

 of angling were carefully disposed on nails and 

 hooks about the room. 



