148 ANGLING 



scores in the clear shallow water near the shuttle doors, and 

 the water had to be stirred up and muddled some yards above 

 before a fish could be induced to bite, although Charlie Cobb, 

 the garthman, lived on fish during the week McNab and Mr. 

 Hopper were at Trent-side. Still the visit was poor in results 

 and instead of feeding one poor old labourer the whole village of 

 rustics should have been regaled with a fish dinner every day. 

 McNab behaved well, but Mr. Hopper had promised Mrs, 

 McNab he should be kept on the proper side of the river. . 



Since the summer visit the ferry service has been discontinued. 

 The big wain boat and also the horse boat had got out of 

 repair, and as the landlord of the Inn which has hitherto 

 worked the ferry boats declined to keep them in repair Mr. 

 Ferryman chucked the job and laid up the boats on the river 

 bank. This is a great inconvenience, not only to the inhabitants 

 in the neighbourhood who have " time out of memory " been 

 accustomed to rely upon the ferry for crossing the Trent, but 

 also to farmers and doctors and veterinary surgeons following 

 their respective callings and professions, and also to cyclists. 

 It means going miles out of their way. What the result will 

 be it is difficult to forecast, but either the Trent Navigation 

 Company or the County or District Council will have to take 

 the matter in hand, as where the ferry was plied it is a highway 

 across the river of course not a ford, being too deep for that, 

 but the highway ran down to the water's edge on either side of 

 the river, the big wain boat being the connecting link between 

 the two roads. It is also inconvenient to the sloopmen who at 

 certain parts of the river have to change their towing path from 

 one bank to the opposite one and the horse boat was used for 

 ferrying the horses across that pull the hauling lines of the- 

 sloops. Now the sloops have to provide their own flat bottomed 

 horse boats and get across where and as best they can. But 

 worst of all, Mr. Hopper has'lost his stand on the end of the 

 big wain boat, where in days'gone by he has slaughtered many 

 a big barbel, the biggest 81bs. a 25 minutes' tussle " Sic 

 transit gloria ferryboati." 



