FL Y FISHING IN FRANCE. 79 



caught half the number he named in his life. I 

 once asked a countryman if there were any sal- 

 mon in a river. He replied " Saumon ? Mon 

 Dieu ! oui, il-y-a un tremblement de poisson" 

 leading you to suppose there was hardly room 

 to cast your fly. The rascal ! Only five fish 

 had been caught for the last ten years. 



I had once a rather curious fishing event hap- 

 pen to me. I was bottom fishing for trout in a 

 small lake, about six miles from Quimper. On 

 arriving I found a disciple of old Walton there 

 before me. He was an agreeable, good-looking 

 young fellow, and a good fisherman. We caught 

 some very nice red trout that day, and we got 

 on capitally together. I quite liked him, for I 

 found him to be a well informed and very civil 

 person. We put up our rods and walked home 

 together, but about two miles short of Quimper 

 he stopped, and said, 



" Bon soir, monsieur" 



"Are you not going on to Quimper?" I 

 asked. 



" Oui, monsieur, oui" he replied, " but I am 

 not company for a gentleman to be seen with in 

 town." 



