PROCEEDINGS OF ECCENTRIC ANGLERS. 181 



persist in plodding straight up the middle of the river 

 (would it were deep enough !), regardless of ague, rheu- 

 matism, and the sport of his neighbours, and continues 

 casting his bait as far before him up stream as a long 

 powerful rod can throw it. 



With these various methods, except the last, I find 



no fault. Every man in this free country has a right to 



follow his own sport as seemeth unto him best, so long 



as the liberty of his fellow-subjects is not interfered 



with. But to the procedure of the eccentric individual 



last mentioned J respectfully demur. In the first place, 



I would remind him that, besides the imminent risk he 



incurs of catching some mortal disease, if not of getting 



drowned outright, he is unintentionally, but nevertheless 



effectually, guarding his bait from either attack or injury 



by his own sturdy legs and burly person, while his rod 



and its shadow together, will be regarded by the fishy 



tribes as one of the "signs" foretold in the Apocalypse. 



In the second place, I would suggest that it is neither 



generous nor courteous towards his brother sportsmen, 



thus to terrify into hysterics the whole inhabitants of a 



river, by the strange apparition of a hippopotamus 



stalking deliberately up the stream upon its hind legs, 



and glaring and grinning from right to left with demoniac 



grimaces. But let him only keep his feet on terra firma, 



and he may continue to fish, even back-side foremost if 



he prefers it. I wish him luck, but must tell him it is 



the wrong way to go to work. 



Turning our attention next to the lazy gentleman 

 seated on the bank enjoying his pipe, and his heavily- 



