A Sportsman at Large 49 



Oh, those were joyous days for enthusiastic young anglers. 



Let me recount a typical one. 



The said Round Pond swarmed with fish of sorts. The 

 rudd and roach were of fair size and possessed of voracious 

 appetites ; also they were pleasantly unsophisticated. There 

 were possibilities of big tench and perch, but we liked to 

 start catching fish right away, as an augury for a real good day, 

 so, on the occasion with which I am dealing, we began nicking 

 the rosy-finned rudd and ruby-eyed roach in masterly fashion. 

 Getting tired of this diversion, I wandered off to certain 

 holes, where I thought tench might be lurking. Having found 

 a swim to my liking I substituted the tail of a well-scoured lob 

 for the bread-paste which had proved so effective with the 

 lesser denizens of the pond. Hardly had the bait time to sink 

 when it was violently seized. My float shot away under water 

 and yards of my line were dragged out. A perch, of course ! 

 I gave him time, and then struck, but his size proved to be 

 in inverse ratio to his energy. He was barely half-a-pound. 

 I soon had three others of the same quality, and then there 

 was a marked variation in the phenomena of the next " bite." 

 For the float, instead of shooting off and under on the slant, 

 now bobbed serenely two or three times, before submerging 

 sedately and vertically. 



I knew what that portended, so was not surprised when 

 my strike encountered a very solid resistance. A tench, sure 

 and a big fellow to boot. I yelled to Edward of the Gills, 

 who was still busy with the smaller fish the other side of the 

 pond. He dropped his rod and sprinted around smartly 

 enough. 



" Here, you ass," I cried, as he arrived panting. ' You've 

 forgotten the net ! Hook it off and get it look lively this 

 is a beauty ! " 



" Oh, net be blowed," my cousin answered rudely. " I 

 can scoop him out with my hands, if you will drag him in 

 to the bank." 



I had my doubts, but the fish was now beat and rolling on 

 the top of the water, so I did as asked. 



Ted began fumbling with the tench, but at last managed 

 to raise it from the water. 



