OF THE BEST ANGLER 51 



being in his favour and the fly lighting correctly, 

 the fish has risen, and has been hooked. Cha- 

 vender has a mental chart of the river bed and 

 his surroundings on the bank, and this enables 

 him with the least possible amount of trouble to 

 bring the fish to the landing stage. (I speak as if 

 it were a steamboat, but no matter.) The net 

 is put into the water at the right moment, never 

 too soon ; the fish is grassed, considered, blud- 

 geoned, or returned. All this quite without 

 flurry. If the creature escapes, Chavender does 

 not explain. He turns a little white and goes on 

 to another, master, as far as is possible in angling, 

 of himself and of his destiny. 



It could never happen to Chavender to fall 

 thrice into the same ditch while endeavouring to 

 get a tight line on a trout. Chavender would 

 know the ditch was there, and would run down 

 stream between it and the river rather than back- 

 wards into the ditch, as I did yesterday week. 

 Yes, Chavender makes fewer mistakes than any 

 other angler I know, and that is why he is the 

 best. 



You may argue, if you please, that if this con- 

 tention is pushed as far as it will go, the best 

 angler is the man who never fishes, and so makes 

 fewer mistakes even than Chavender. But I say 

 tush to you. Can anyone be more mistaken 



