BEWARE OF FIRE ! 187 



" very successful." Indeed, on a dropper worked thus, I have 

 often taken three or four fish for one to the stretcher. In 

 fishing from the shore, say outside a piece of weed, look out 

 sharply when the dropper trips up thus towards the edge of the 

 weed, and it will often prove irresistible to the best fish. 

 Remember that, though you have no stream in a lake, you have 

 wind, with which the flies will drift just as naturally as they will 

 in a stream ; and it is not advisable, if you can avoid it, to draw 

 your flies against it, as it is unnatural, and will challenge 

 attention and often scare the best fish, though small ones may 

 not mind it. 



In fishing from the shore, you will often have to wade. If 

 the wind be blowing sharply along the shore you fish, get it at 

 your back and walk cautiously on, a step at a time, casting 

 outwards first, and then in the segment of a circle, the last cast 

 terminating almost on the shore. Then take another step, or 

 perhaps two, and repeat the process, making as little disturb- 

 ance as you can ; but always look well to your footing, and feel 

 your way onward, or a big, round, or slippery stone will bring 

 you suddenly to grief. 



If you be a smoker, brother angler, take care (and this will 

 apply equally perhaps to river-fishing) to knock the fire quite 

 out of your pipe before you pocket it, or you may chance to do 

 as I did once when wading along the strand on that prince of 

 lakes, Lough Melvin. I was having great sport, and fancying 

 my pipe was out, popped it hastily into my pocket without 

 consideration. After a time I smelt an unpleasant smell of 

 burning. At first I thought it but the smoke from something 

 burning on the land, and paid no attention to it. Presently my 

 thigh warned me of a sensation of heat ; I thrust my hand into 

 my pocket it was on fire. I hastily turned out the contents. 

 My pocket was in large holes ; the coat even was singed 

 through, my handkerchief destroyed, and, worse than all, the 

 extreme edge of my tackle-book singed smartly. When I came 

 to inspect it, " dies miser abilis \ " ten or a dozen beautiful 

 exquisitely fine new casting-lines, of a delicate amber colour, 

 done up in coils of eight or ten inches circumference (which I 

 had laid in for my campaign, but three days previously, at 

 Farlow's), were just burnt through only just in one spot, 

 thus reducing the whole of them to irreparable and useless 

 fragments. Oh, the trouble I had in picking those lines ! for 

 I am very particular and choice in my trout-casts. I sent for 

 more, but I could not replace those I had lost ; and to this 



