8o ANGLING 



length, so it will readily be understood what a boon it is to the 

 angler to get so far out into the river and fish a good swim 

 from its river end, and without any swaying about of the 

 boat. 



Many a time have Mr. Hopper and Witchdorter sat fishing 

 the Ferry swim until 1 1 o'clock at night leger fishing, the line 

 taut and every bit of weed coming across, and every bat flying 

 against the line, making believe just for the moment that 

 patience was being rewarded by a barbel or other denizen of 

 those waters seeking his supper. Oft and oft again has the 

 " leger " been threaded and a new gut trace put on by the disc 

 of the moon. And that old ferry boat was so convenient in 

 point of distance only 200 yards from the " Brownlow Arms " 

 for Mrs. Hopper to come down about half-past 9 with some 

 of Warwick's best XXX and a plate of bread and cheese. Oh ! 

 fellow anglers, it was a grand old swim, but Mr. Hopper fears 

 its best day has gone by, and that it has been sacrificed to 

 make a channel deep enough for the " Robin Hood " steamer 

 to carry merchandise up river. There are many pleasant 

 memories and associations in connection with the old ferry 

 swim and the ferry weighing boat, but beyond mentioning the 

 home coming every evening of the rooks to the tall aspen 

 poplars close by, the cry of the curlew high up overhead, the 

 flight of wild ducks, the rapid swim down the river of the 

 rapacious otter, the steady flight of the heron laden with his 

 capture of fish, time and space forbid reference to more of them 

 than these. Although Witchdorter was so ungrateful as not to 

 try the old swim, Mr. Hopper felt he must not wholly neglect 

 so old a friend, so one evening whilst Witchdorter and friend 

 Brown tried the bream swim without result, he, Mr. Hopper, 

 both floated and legered the Ferry swim with some prime old 

 cheese. Mr. Hopper thought that this display of loyalty and 

 allegiance to an old swim would be rewarded at any rate by a 

 barbel or roving chub, but it would seem those cautious fish do 

 not estimate faithful allegiance on the part of the angler to an 

 old swim in the same manner as he would have them do ; so 

 when the two bream fishers first mentioned returned with 



