>108 MOSTLY ABOUT TROUT 



under the bank. He is still rising, and I am just 

 getting my rod up for a cast when he starts for 

 a cruise, heading down-stream directly for me. 

 I keep perfectly still ; my heart in my mouth. 

 About level with me, he turns up-stream again, 

 taking an occasional fly as he goes, and making 

 only the least dimple on the surface as he does 

 so. He was so near to me at one time that I 

 saw every spot on his side, but the background 

 of bank and trees just saved me from discovery. 

 He gets back to his old place and feeds there 

 again ; now for the first cast. The boughs of 

 the tree below me do not come down to the 

 water the lowest is fortunately about six feet 

 above the surface of the stream ; I can flick 

 the fly under it for the back cast, and so get it 

 forward to where the fish lies. Five minutes 

 of underhand casting, trying to get the fly 

 above the fish, failing every time, and then he 

 is off for another cruise. This time he goes 

 a few yards up-stream and then comes down 

 the middle, again without seeing me. He goes 

 back to his old place. I move up two yards, 

 and in doing so get one foot stuck in the mud, 

 making a wave as I pull it out. The wave 

 goes over him, and he stops feeding for what is 

 probably a minute, but it seems like an hour, 

 pondering over the phenomenon. Then he takes 



