n6 AN ANGLER'S HOURS vn 



to return the first fish of the day, however 

 small ; this he explains at length, giving 

 instances of the lamentable results of such 

 weakness that have come under his notice. 

 His practice, I regret to say, is to kill the 

 small fish that come later in the day also. 

 I have seen him in the proud possession of 

 dead pike that could not have weighed a 

 single pound. Mindful of this I give him 

 very solemn warning of what will happen 

 if he does it again, and then turn to the 

 fishing. 



Presently there is another run which re- 

 sults in the capture of a second pike of small 

 dimensions ; this is rescued from the bottle 

 with difficulty. Then for a full hour the 

 float works round and round the eddy, down 

 the main stream, and even round the other 

 eddy, without a touch. Old Billy snorts, 

 and reminds me that he prophesied as much 

 when I returned the second fish of the day ; 

 it is peculiarly unlucky to return the second 

 fish of the day. It certainly does look as 

 though something was wrong ; it is now near 

 mid-day, and two runs from little fish are 

 all I can boast of. Moreover, there is no 

 time to waste. It will be dark by four, and 



