Fly-Fifhing. 



12 



gold. As he lay fo quiet and I had no landing-net, 

 I tried to lift him, trufting to the ftrength of the 

 rod. When lo ! one ftruggle was enough, and 

 fnap went the top juft above the ferule, and down 

 dropped the trout into the water, and, {till worfe, 

 fo far was he recovered by the change of circum- 

 ftances, that he dafhed off and broke his hold. 



A pretty predicament to be in on the banks of 

 fuch a river as the Monnow in the middle of the 

 day. A broken top, and no fpare one at hand ! 

 If you have one drop only one of the pure Wal- 

 tonian blood in your veins, the bare recital of fuch 

 a trial will awaken your fympathy ! 



Such a chapter of accidents was this day's fifh- 

 ing evidently to be ! It took me no little time to 

 get the ferule clear again, to the extreme danger 

 offome of my teeth ; and then cobble the broken 

 top in fuch a way as to enable me to continue 

 ufmg my rod. 



It is madnefs to attempt lifting a trout a fraction 

 above half a pound out of the water in this way. 

 Nor was this the firft difafter of the kind I had 

 met with, entirely from my repugnance to carry 

 a landing-net. 



After much valuable time thus needleffly fquan- 

 dered, I began moving on down the ftream, de- 



