PLANKING POACHERS 



be rather poor but told us of a large pool 

 near the source where very fine fish could 

 be taken. 



As the Angler was being paddled slowly 

 along he suddenly remembered that he had 

 a duty to perform and a report to make. 



"Bob/' he began, "tell me please, just 

 where the mill is on the big river, the one 

 that dumps so much sawdust into the 

 stream." 



Bob stopped paddling, shifted his quid, 

 and giving the Angler a curious look, growled 

 out: "What in Hell be ye a-talkin' 'bout? 

 Never was, ain't, and never's likely to be 

 no sawmill in these diggin's. Lived here 

 goin' on forty years 'n never seen a log yit. 

 Some darn fool was a-guyin' ye." 



No more he said. No more was needed. 

 The Angler was a poacher, a common 

 poacher! This Angler, who had never 

 poached anything but an egg and who had 

 never before knowingly broken a law. And 

 he had even gone so far as to plank his fish 

 on the painted sign! And Billy was a 

 poacher, too, only he did not know it. 



When once more at home the Humble 

 Angler wrote to the Major and thanked him 

 for his delightful trip, expressing his appre- 

 27 



