92 AN T GLING 



down the swim, but he had met his fate, and in a little under 

 quarter of an hour he was safe in the meshes of the landing net, 

 and when subsequently weighed plumped down the scales at 

 5lbs. 



Whilst Mr. Hopper was adorning his hook once more with a 

 tempting morsel, Witchdorter had got ready, and his float was 

 not ten yards from the boat when down it went and Witch- 

 dorter's line was making his reel sing again, and it was plain he 

 had hold of a good fair fish. To say the least, Witchdorter's 

 mode of " playing," his fish was unique, in fact altogether so 

 original and quaint that Mr. Hopper being fearful that Witch- 

 dorter might lose his barbel suggested another way of handling 

 it. Witchdorter was irate, and said " Now, Mr. Hopper, I've 

 hooked this fish and not you, and I intend to play him in my 

 way and my way only not yours if I lose him it will be my 

 own fault." Witchdorter has an emphatic way of saying 

 things, so Mr. Hopper watched the fun which lasted well into 

 ten minutes, and in the result Witchdorter's "way" proved 

 successful, and friend Brown had the satisfaction of putting the 

 net under a very nice 4lb. barbel. Witchdorter surveyed his 

 catch with dignity quite imposing in its bearing and he looked 

 a veritable monarch ; he now appeared impassive, cool, and 

 free from excitement, and for all the world as if catching a 4lb. 

 barbel was an everyday event with him. Little would an out- 

 sider have thought that ten years had gone by since Witch- 

 dorter had landed one of that species, but Mr. Hopper had 

 counted the years as they rolled by and recollected well those 

 two luckless barbel Witchdorter had landed one evening, a 

 decade ago, at the Ferry swim. 



Witchdorter was soon floating the swim again, and only 

 very few minutes had elapsed before he had hold again 

 this time something a good deal smaller and two or 

 three minutes sufficed to get inside the boat a barbel of a 

 little over 2lbs. It was now Mr. Hopper's turn, down went 

 his float and it was plain he had hooked a fine fish ; he kept a 

 very tidy distance between himself and Mr. Hopper, and it was 

 well into twenty minutes before a glimpse could be got of him. 



