VII 



OF CHA VENDER, TEA-DRINKING, AND THE 

 BEST ANGLER 



/^HAVENDER has been here fishing, and has 

 ^-J caught more fishes than I believed it possible 

 for one man to draw out of this river in the space 

 of three days. Every afternoon he has been 

 driven into the house, about tea-time, by the 

 intolerable burden of trout with which his creel 

 has been stuffed; then, having discharged his 

 cargo, he has swallowed about ten cups of tea 

 and departed, to be seen no more until dinner, 

 when, the larder having been further enriched and 

 a hasty meal having been swallowed, he has once 

 more put forth to the work, and night has fallen 

 upon him still slaughtering. This is the kind of 

 guest that it is a real pleasure to have in the 

 house. Until his return for the night to these 

 premises our conversational labours with Chaven- 

 der are limited to an affable good morning, and 

 his, with us, to a request for the salt or more tea. 

 But his waders once off, he will talk like a 

 Christian and show no signs of restlessness till 



43 



