ioo AN ANGLER'S HOURS vi 



eat ducks, moor -hens, and herons, alarm 

 otters, and wrestle with anglers for a live 

 bait weighing nineteen pounds, he confessed 

 that these accounts bore the impress of ex- 

 aggeration ; the fish he meant would be 

 somewhere about sixteen, and it lay just 

 opposite the second hatch-hole in the middle 

 field. This exactitude of detail made the 

 fish seem a possibility, but neither spinning 

 nor live-baiting induced him to move, and 

 the second day ended with little done, but 

 much enjoyed. 



On the third day there was a soft vernal 

 air after a crisp, frosty night, and I awoke 

 to the joyful consciousness that I was fully 

 restored to health. Sunshine had been too 

 much even for the notorious after-effects of 

 influenza, and there was now no reason why 

 I should not fish as though I meant to catch 

 something. The masters of the gentle art 

 inform us that good intentions are not enough 

 of themselves to bring about success ; in 

 these days of over-fishing one must also use 

 science and fine tackle. I pondered over 

 the matter during breakfast, and afterwards 

 looked through my tackle-box for a trace 

 that should satisfy the requirements of science 



