EXPERIENCES & REMINISCENCES. 29 



and with further invocations to the aforesaid saints, and further 

 desperate lunges, he managed to get her afloat and brought her 

 across, picking up the fir tree on his way, and at a quarter to 

 six it should have been half-past four landed his Uncle at the 

 swim. 



" Now be very quiet, Nephew, and although rather late, 

 we are in for the barbel this morning." Having rigged up a 

 running float and adjusted a tempting morsel of cheese on the 

 hook, in went Mr. Hopper's line and bait, down goes the float, 

 and " Uncle " has hold at once. " My word, though, nephew," 

 says he, "there'll be sport this morning." "Golly, Uncle," 

 says Nephew, " we're in for a catch this morning." Says 

 Uncle, " We shall get a sack full before breakfast, as sure as 

 fate." Meanwhile Mr. Fish has been giving good play, but of 

 a peculiar kind, and in due course the net is put under him and 

 Nephew duly deposits a fish of 3llbs. into the aforesaid 

 capacious sack. Half-an-hour elapses without another bite, 

 which passes the comprehension of Mr. Hopper, who says 

 " Nephew, did you look at that fish to see what it was ? 

 It occurs to me, now I come to think of it, he didn't 

 play like a barbel. Turn him out, and let's have a 

 look at him." This being done, it is found, to the mutual 

 disgust of uncle and nephew, that it is a chub. A handsome 

 fellow certainly, but still a leather-mouthed chub only, and not 

 a barbel. Simply a roaming chub, and not one of a drove of 

 barbel. This at once explained the absence of further bites, 

 and having been again consigned to his sack he there remained 

 in solitary confinement for the remainder of the morning until 

 breakfast time, for not another bite could be got. When fishing 

 for barbel that visit Mr. Hopper caught, in another swim, two 

 more chub, respectively weighing 2ilbs. and i^lbs. not bad 

 fish, certainly, but very different from barbel. 



When fishing after dark on the Trent, bats are a great 

 nuisance ; the line being held taut, the slightest touch or 

 friction is felt, and a bat having once found your line 

 persists in flying against it, which causes a good jerk 

 or knock not unlike a bite. Blow the bats, says Mr 



