OF THE BEGINNING OF THINGS 5 



I left them rising at the end with undiminished 

 energy, and went and sat down and had my 

 lunch. Then I sought another fish, and began 

 again, when suddenly it occurred to me that I had 

 not tried the old-fashioned mole's-fur-bodied, 

 snipe-winged Blue Dun. I had only a solitary 

 specimen, and that was tied with a hen's hackle ; 

 but such as it was, and greatly distrusting its 

 floating powers, I tied it on. I did not err in my 

 distrust, for after a cast or two it was hopelessly 

 water-logged. I dried it as well as I could in my 

 handkerchief, and despatched it once more on its 

 mission. It went under almost as it lit, just above 

 a capital trout, but for all that it was taken 

 immediately. The next trout, and the next, and 

 the next, took it with equal promptitude ; one was 

 small, and had to go back, but the others were 

 quite nice average fish. 



Then, in my eagerness, I was too hard on my 

 gossamer gut when the next trout took my fly, and 

 he kept it. I had no more of these Blue Duns, 

 and I did not get another fish till the evening. 



Still I did not realize that I was on the edge of 

 an adventure, nor yet did I realize whither I was 

 tending when Mr. F. M. Halford told me how a 

 well-known Yorkshire angler had been fishing 

 with him on the Test, and, by means of a wet fly 

 admirably fished without the slightest drag, had 

 contrived to basket some trout on a difficult 

 water. 



