jo ANGLING 



lead to make it "cock." Witchdorter seemed a bit non- 

 plussed at these somewhat doubtful compliments to his skill 

 and ingenuity as a float maker, but he fixed a few ounces of 

 lead on below and then sent his " bantling " on its first voyage. 

 It gyrated and wobbled a good deal, but Witchdorter assured 

 those in the boat who were there to see the trial trip that new 

 floats always acted like that until they had absorbed a sufficient 

 quantity of water to steady them. The Commodore allowed 

 his left lower eyelid slowly to ascend until it was in contact with 

 the upper, and wunk a very visible wink at Mr. Hopper, but 

 was otherwise silent. Mrs. Commodore said the absorption 

 theory was a very good one, but why not build the float hollow 

 to begin with and then fill it with water. Witchdorter said he 

 had thought of that, but it was far from him to be a plagiarist, 

 and he remembered that Artemus Ward had once said some- 

 thing about a merciful Providence having fashioned us hollow, 

 and it might be imagined he had got his idea from Artemus if 

 he had made the float hollow. Mrs. Commodore was plain 

 and outspoken and said " that was rubbish she didn't believe 

 he (Witchdorter) had thought of a hollow float for one 

 moment." Witchdorter protested he had but said the great 

 difficulty which presented itself to his mind was when he was to 

 make it hollow was he to make the hollow space first and then 

 build round it with cork ? or was he to get a solid bit of cork 

 and then scoop out a hollow inside it, and if so how much ? 

 Witchdorter here got a little involved, and Mrs. Commodore at 

 once took advantage of his temporary confusion and said a 

 float built on the latter principle could not possibly be air- 

 tight, the proper basis on which to proceed was first of all to 

 make the hollow the proper size, then blow out all the air ; then 

 be sure that no water got into the hollow until the absorption 

 principle should begin to work ; then cut your cork exactly the 

 size of the hollow and fit it on by suction, and having done 

 that why, barring the quills, the rings, and the red paint the 

 float was ready for use. Witchdorter retired from the combat 

 discomfited, and said he had often talked with men of science 

 about hollow floats but none of them had got over the difficulty, 



