XXIX. 



A DRAINED FISHPOND. 



I CALLED in at my neighbour Major Warren 

 Pauncefote's this afternoon, and found he 

 was just engaged in draining the fishpond 

 by his garden. He is going to deepen it 

 and to puddle the bottom, so as to make 

 it fit for his boys to swim in. Meanwhile 

 he has transferred all the larger carp to a 

 stone trough in the back yard, where I saw 

 at once there was not half enough water 

 for them. I'm sure he didn't mean to be 

 cruel, for he is the humanest soldier that 

 ever spitted Fuzzy-wuzzy in the Soudan 

 on his sword ; but all the same, to any 

 one who understands the prime needs of 

 fish-life, the condition of those poor carp 

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