AN AUTUMN FISHING 107 



and casting a long line into fast-flowing 

 water. The mystery of the salmon pool 

 must always hold a certain fascination. 

 But surely the element of chance, the 

 astounding luck of salmon fishing, is its 

 chief enticement ! The knowledge that 

 although you have toiled ineffectually all 

 day, one further cast may bring that 

 greatly desired but always unexpected pull, 

 which more than compensates for aching 

 joints and weary dejection — no words of 

 controversy can belittle the exhilaration 

 and excitement of that moment. 



The visitor to Brittany will find this 

 fishing disheartening work if he attempt 

 it alone. His best chance of moderate 

 success would be to obtain the services of 

 some local fisherman who can show him 

 the few catches or probable lies of the fish, 

 and so save the toil of flogging many a 

 likely-looking but useless beat. Even an 

 experienced fisherman is sure to make 

 mistakes on a strange river, passing hghtly 

 over some of the best places and wasting 

 valuable time on others which are probably 

 tenantless. Moreover, the Breton peasant 

 is an expert salmon-fisher on his own lines, 



