NOTES FROM A DIARY 141 



and, like the previous three, he rushed off 

 up-stream. Swiftly I passed the rod back 

 to Jean Pierre. As the trout turned I 

 had the line taut between my fingers and 

 before the fish had weeded me. By this 

 method we took a few good brace of fish 

 while the rise lasted, coaxing, and, if 

 necessary, skull-dragging each trout past 

 those perilous, green, tangled walls. There 

 was only one, a fat two-pounder, which 

 almost escaped. This fish tried to bolt 

 past us, and only by heavy strain and one 

 of Jean Pierre's conjuring tricks with the 

 net was he prevented. 



My old friend has one golden rule for a 

 weedy stream : " Never let your fish get 

 below you." Better to risk breaking him 

 mth a heavy strain than let him past ; 

 once he has reached the weeds below the 

 end is certain — he breaks you. Experi- 

 ence only can teach the value of hand- 

 lining in shallow water and under certain 

 difficulties ; the extraordinary way a fight- 

 ing fish may be led by hand to the net, 

 whereas if he were played from the rod 

 he would be quite unmanageable. 



July 19th. — In the evening viarked down 



