296 AN ANGLER AT LARGE 



Immense Fish, if I put a young grayling down so 

 much the better. My fly fell about ten yards 

 west of the spot at which I had aimed. 



Immediately 1 was playing something of quite 

 respectable strength. It jagged downwards, and 

 I said to my heart, " A grayling of dimensions ! " 

 It proceeded down stream, jagging always, and I 

 never saw it until I had followed it fifty yards. 

 Then it showed yellow. I thought, " The gut is 

 frayed," and stepped up to my middle in water 

 disguised as mud. Subsequently I found myself 

 still connected with the fish. Ten hours (was 

 it ?) later I performed a sort of tilting at the ring 

 with trout and landing net (my miserable little 

 landing net) and grassed him. Then (after 

 butchery), while my spring balance, groaning, sank 

 to three, my soul rose towards the zenith. I had 

 topped three pounds. The years fell away from 

 my shoulders. 



Thus the great prize came to me, through no 

 special skill or care or pertinacity of mine. It is 

 impossible to draw any moral from the incident 

 which is not quite immoral. I cannot say, " Behold 

 what comes of sticking to it," or " Thus, young 

 man, by perfecting oneself in the use of one's 

 weapons, when the opportunity arises one is found 

 ready to seize it," because I threw without any 



