104 GOLDEN DAYS 



these victims reach the voracious trout 

 while we attacked some hundred yards 

 below. 



What need to recount the crowded hour 

 which followed ? All of us, some time or 

 other, must have known the joys of a 

 Mayfly carnival. Moreover, the interest 

 of that day lay not so much in the actual 

 catching of the fish as in the way they 

 were induced to feed, in spite of their 

 sulky humour. 



The account of Jean Pierre's miraculous 

 hatch of fly may sound incredible, yet it 

 can be vouched for by one who actually 

 saw the feat performed ; and I believe, 

 given a sufficient quantity of Mayflies to 

 allure the fish, that a similar artificial rise 

 could be created on any of our southern 

 chalk streams. If we carry the theory of 

 these tactics a little further there will 

 come a day when we shall have our hatch 

 of Duns and Spinners to time and order, 

 so shall we bring about our own damna- 

 tion and ruin the delightful uncertainty 

 of the game. 



The bag that day was not excessive, 

 yet we took four and a half brace within 



