198 AN ANGLER AT LARGE 



my line tied to its tip ; three twisted strands from 

 the tail of my good grey mare, and my two great 

 bouncing bumbles fashioned by these fingers from 

 the hackles of my old g^ime-cock that died gloriously 

 in Will Andrews' pit a sennight come Tuesday." 

 As I looked at the dreadful tackle my heart swelled 

 with pity for the man. But he had said something 

 about good sport. Well, there were chub in this 

 part of the river ; he might conceivably have caught 

 a brace of chub. 



"And yet," he went on, "see what I have 

 taken." As he spoke he unslung his creel, in- 

 verted it, and upon the grass there poured a 

 cascade of trout fat, golden, ponderous. In- 

 stinctively I removed my hat. Lunatic or fantastic, 

 here was my master. " These be a dozen and 

 three," he said in a satisfied voice. "The others 

 are above, concealed beneath a bush. These, since 

 seven of the clock." "The others!" I gasped: 

 " how many, in Heaven's name ? " " Three score 

 and two," he announced simply. " Look you ! " 

 he moved the heap of fish with his hand, and dis- 

 closed a stupendous fish of about 6 Ib. weight 

 " here is a shapely gentleman. A gladsome time 

 he gave me, forcing me to cast all twice to the 

 river. But the floating wand betrayed him. I 

 rode my pony in to him, and now he is mine ! " 



" You rode your pony ? " " Ay, marry ! I'm 



