RANDOM MEMORIES 75 



stiff rod. Above his cast he ties a small 

 grass bent, so that the line may not slip 

 back through the rod rings. Below this 

 grass check hangs three feet of straight fine 

 cast, tipped by a very small hook, which im- 

 pales a dead "blue-bottle." On this adven- 

 ture he always carries with him a stout 

 pair of clippers, which are very necessary in 

 cutting or enlarging holes in the brush- 

 wood through which he may insert his rod. 

 One specially remembered stream is so 

 overgrown with thorn and whin bushes 

 that no artificial fly has ever touched its 

 waters, and there is hardly a gap through 

 which a worm could find its way. This 

 Jean Pierre loves above all others. I see 

 him now cunningly thrusting his rod 

 through a carved cave of branches, then 

 gently lowering the point till the deceased 

 blue-bottle rests on the surface of the 

 water. It is great fun, too, to lie in the 

 soft grass at the edge of the bank and 

 watch, for Jean Pierre has become a 

 wizard. He is now rhythmically tapping 

 his rod-butt, and one expects that at any 

 minute he may break into an incantation, 

 some Breton equivalent of that Abraca- 



