28 ANGLING 



the ferry landing stage it was found that some scamp had, 

 during the night, taken the small boat across the river and 

 left it there the best part of 100 yards away. Now, as the 

 baited swim was nearly a mile up the river, and on the other 

 side, and was only fishable from a boat, it was absolutely 

 necessary to get to the boat. After a council of war, during 

 which Mr. Hopper felt his muscles, it was determined to 

 venture upon getting the big horse-boat across the river (a big 

 undertaking this) and, if successful in that venture, to leave 

 his nephew on the other side to bring the small boat across 

 whilst he returned with the horse-boat. Mr. Hopper navigated 

 the unwieldy craft across with a pole more like a fir tree than 

 anything, and having deposited his nephew on terra firnia on 

 the opposite side, proceeded to return and had successfully 

 negotiated half the voyage across the river when having stuck 

 the aforesaid fir tree too deeply in the mud, it became a question 

 with Mr. Hopper whether the propelling apparatus should be 

 left in the middle of the river, or whether he should cling 

 like grim death thereto with the inevitable result, having regard 

 to the way there was on the boat, that Mr. Hopper should be 

 dragged off the boat into the river and so add one more to his 

 unlucky dips. The bump of caution must have been largely 

 developed that morning, for the former course was carried out, 

 and the pole was left sticking in the middle of the river, and the 

 craft with Captain Hopper on board just reached the home side 

 of the river. " Uncle Hopper," says his nephew, " I can't move 

 this boat ; the river has fallen in the night and left it almost high 

 and dry." Here was a dilemma. One would-be angler on one 

 side of the river, and the other on t'other side. Master Nephew 

 pushed and lunged, and spluttered and called upon the holy 

 saints, and pushed and lunged again, but all in vain. " Take 

 your clothes off, nephew, and get in the river, and then you'll 

 manage it." Nephew, slightly irritated at this advice, rejoins, 

 " Do it yourself, Uncle Hopper." The precious time was of 

 course running away like mad, and eventually Master Nephew 

 was soothed into a compromise of divesting himself of boots and 

 socks and rolling his trousers up to his hips, and so accoutred, 



