iv A BRACE OF TENCH 65 



poses himself to wait. Tench are not quite 

 so difficult to entice as carp, but where they 

 run big they are not to be hurried. In this 

 canal they run very big ; three-pounders are 

 occasionally caught by the villagers, and 

 much heavier ones are often seen, and it is 

 these bigger ones that the angler desires ; 

 so he is content to wait until breakfast- 

 time if need be ; it will not be the first 

 occasion. 



Presently the sun begins to rise away 

 behind the old wall and the grove of chest- 

 nut trees, and the morning grey gradually 

 softens into a kind of luminous opal. Then 

 the angler sees the first sign of fish ; a 

 greenish shadow passes close under the bank 

 almost at his feet. That is a tench of about 

 two pounds, and it seems to have gone out 

 by the artificial channel into the pool ; 

 perhaps it will find and attack the worm 

 waiting there. Anyhow, it is a good sign ; 

 it shows that the fish are moving. From 

 time to time a kind of " plop " may be 

 heard in the middle of the weeds, which 

 also indicates that the tench are breakfasting, 

 but for a long time the bait remains un- 

 touched. At last, just when the angler 



F 



