x THREE WILD DAYS 169 



fished for, and where ? The fly seemed 

 hopeless in such a wind, the shallows were 

 no better than a storm -swept sea, and 

 indeed, so far as could be seen, the water 

 above the bridge was shelterless. 



Below, a clump of trees a meadow's dis- 

 tance away offered more hope, and thither 

 the indomitable companion strode firmly, 

 without wasting words. His instinct proved 

 to have been right ; the river turned a sharp 

 corner under the shadow of the trees, 

 forming as perfect a pool for perch as 

 could be met with. The rods were quickly 

 put together, and soon two red worms were 

 offering wriggling attractions to the fish in 

 two convenient eddies, and the anglers sat 

 somewhat sheltered from the icy blast. 



Almost immediately the indomitable 

 companion's float disappeared, and a fish 

 was hooked, which turned out to be a nice 

 perch of nearly a pound ; it fought gamely, 

 but the pool was too deep for weeds, and 

 the net soon claimed its own, while the wind 

 shrieked with renewed vigour, as though to 

 celebrate the success. Incidentally it tore 

 from its parent limb a piece of wood that was 

 almost big enough to be called a branch, 



