EXPERIENCES & REMINISCENCES. 39 



of bringing round our baits another kind of fish, and, Mr. 

 Hopper acquiescing in this suggestion, a few more handsfull 

 were thrown in. Mr. Oaktree ventured to remark that " the 

 rice would be strange poor eating without some treacle 

 sauce with it." Mr. Hopper replied he would give them 

 plenty of treacle sauce presently, which Mr. Oaktree 

 evidently regarded as a fairish joke, as he stayed on 

 to see the result. He had not long to wait, as Twynkles 

 soon had something at the end of his line very different 

 from what the morning had so far yielded. After two 

 or three minutes play it was safely brought to bank, and Mr. 

 Oaktree was duly informed it was one of the " yellow 'uns " of 

 which it was believed by Twynkles and Mr. Hopper there was 

 a fairly numerous colony in the pond. It was now Mr. Hopper's 

 turn, and he soon had hold of another of the yellow 'uns, and by 

 the combined efforts of Twynkles (he objects to " Mr." before 

 his name) and Mr. Hopper (the latter prefers the prefix as 

 being more dignified) seven or eight of the same species were 

 soon lying side by side on the bank. Mr. Oaktree declared he 

 had never seen " owght loike it, and that we were giving ' on 

 'em ' treacle sauce now." The old gentleman then toddled off 

 to breakfast or some of his duties on the farm, returning at 

 intervals during the day to see if any more of the " yellow un's " 

 had been foolish enough to partake of rice pudding and treacle 

 sauce. There were generally, whenever he cared to put in an 

 appearance, another specimen or two added to the heap on the 

 bank, and when Twynkles and Mr. Hopper put up their rods 

 at the end of the day's proceedings, they found they had 

 rather over 6olbs weight of fish to carry to the station besides 

 their angling impedimenta. It is needless to say that Mr. 

 Oaktree's "yellow un's " were tench, and on counting them they 

 mounted up to 35 in number, of which Mr. Hopper had grassed 

 19 and Twynkles 16. As the lake in the People's Park at 

 Grimsby had no tench in it, Mr. Hopper contrived, with the aid 

 of wet grass, to get home alive a few of those he had caught 

 and turned them into the lake, where a week afterwards he also 

 turned in 10 more of the same species to prevent the others from 



