SEPTEMBER, 1893. 



XVII. WlTCHDORTER, AND THE EARLY RlSING OF THE 

 ANCIENTS. 



WlTCHDORTER is a man of many good parts and 

 excellent qualities, but he has one slight failing from 

 the true angler's point of view and that is, he awakes 

 badly in the morning he is not only a difficult subject to 

 arouse, but even when that has been accomplished he must 

 have ten minutes more of his precious bed. For years Mr. 

 Hopper was in doubt whether Witchdorter was not just a wee bit 

 cunning in the early hours of the morning, but he is now almost 

 forced to the conclusion that his friend's sluggishness is due in 

 a measure to an infirmity in his acoustic arrangements. Mr. 

 Hopper has found by experience that it is useless to put the 

 alarum in the watch pocket over Witchdorter's head, under 

 his pillow on the small round table near his bedside 

 he (Witchdorter) will sleep on his good ear and tilt his 

 deaf ear in the air, or as the French proverb says, 

 " Dormir les poings fermes," (which, being very liberally 

 translated means " to sleep on both ears " literally with one's 

 fists closed) with the result that Mr. Hopper has to attend to 

 the awaking part of the business entirely himself. 



Now Mr. Hopper and Witchdorter had sworn a great oath 

 to each other, as in ancient times, to be up at a quarter to four in 

 the morning following the capture of the 5lb. barbel recorded 

 in the last notes, and to go to Dunham on the war path against 

 the carp bream, and fish for barbel in the cool of the evening. 

 Mr. Hopper therefore, intent upon having W T itchdorter out of 

 bed at the time named, wound up the alarum most viciously to 

 go off at 3-45 a.m., and placed it as near Witchdorter, as, 

 having regard to the drum of his ear, he could conscientiously 

 do, and having ascended his own four-poster (Witchdorter 

 occupying the other four-poster in the large room set apart for 



