66 Fly-FiJhing. 



letting out her fecret. And now was the time for 

 patience to develope its perfect work ; (not patience 

 of the ordinary kind that perfons fancy in their 

 ideal perfonification of a fiftierman fitting all the 

 day long in one fpot with his eyes intently fixed on 

 an immoveable float ;) but patience in its nobler 

 character, that matters the ardour of excitement, 

 directs the reftlefs hand, and controls the irafcible 

 temper. 



When the falmon found he was ftill a prifoner 

 after his numberlefs attempts to tear himfelf from 

 the odious little barb that held him, I conclude he 

 thought within himfelf that now was the time or 

 never to recruit his ftrength, which he found 

 gradually getting lefs and lefs. It appears that at 

 the bottom of the ftream,. down which he was 

 defcending rather involuntarily than otherwife, lay 

 a wide, deep pool of (comparatively fpeaking) ftill 

 water. No fooner had he reached this, than he 

 became inftantly quiefcent as though he were 

 about to breathe his laft in his own beloved ele- 

 ment. 



Had my friend been a lefs knowing hand he 

 would probably have been as well fatisfied to reft 

 awhile, as the falmon was apparently thus to give 

 in without any more ado. But no ! fplafh went 



