A SMALL BAG. 37 



just at the edge of the reeds made me long to 

 change the ffiin for the rod for one short half 

 hour ; and as I could not do this I contented 

 myself with carrymg home another angler's 

 spoil — a splendid fish, of the carp species, 

 about five or six pounds in weight, which I 

 purchased for about sixpence, to be converted 

 two hours later into an excellent soup by our 

 hostess. I never knew carp were worth 

 eating before, but in my humble opinion, 

 though no great judge in matters concernmg 

 the table, all Russians possess a special talent 

 for cookino; fish. When we reached the lake- 

 side, and spread out our spoils, we found we 

 had fifty-five snipe and eleven various, in- 

 cluding t^v^o double snipe — a bag extremely 

 small for a place in which it is on record 

 that a single gun killed his one hundred 



couple in a day, thus eclipsing Prince S 's 



seventy -five couple at Sebastopol ; but a bag 



