A Sportsman at Large 53 



both, but the one I did land was a carp of about three-quarters 

 of a pound. 



Almost at the same moment Ted had one which might 

 have been the twin brother of my victim. 



The fun, such as it was, was fast and furious. No waiting 

 here. As soon as ever our baits sank, they were seized, 

 and so the battle waged until we had two score of these 

 carplets to our credit. Each were the counterpart of the 

 other. The same weight, and the same condition, which 

 was good and healthy. There was a little pool handy in 

 which we placed our captives. We borrowed a sack from the 

 Canon's bailiff, and when our trap came to take us home, 

 we netted out the fish and inserted them therein, packed with 

 wet grass. This kept them alive until we reached Moat 

 Mount, where we immediately released them in a little bit of 

 ornamental water in the garden known as The Basin Pond. 

 And here they remained for years. They were regularly fed 

 and became tame enough to eat out of our hands, but they 

 never grew much, indeed, few of them ever exceeded a pound 

 in weight. Now had they been Prussian carp this would 

 not be strange, but, as a matter of fact, they were true 

 Britishers. 



On making inquiries, I found that no fish had been placed 

 in the Canon's lake to the knowledge of any of the " quality " 

 or employees. When the water was drained, some whopping 

 carp had been taken out, also tons of fine tench and some 

 specimen perch ; but none of these were returned. Where, 

 then, did these small, even-sized carp come from ? There 

 were thousands in the lake. How did they " happen " ? 



Some ten years later the same problem was presented by 

 the Big Pond at Moat Mount. It had become foul and silted, 

 so the water was drained off in July and the fish removed 

 to other waters. The mud and clay were scooped out to the 

 depth of at least three feet and then the basin was left fallow 

 until the following November, when it was allowed to refill 

 by help of the autumnal rains. 



No fish oj any kind were returned to the water, as Irwin 

 had an idea of stocking with two-year-old trout in the following 

 February, but for some reason or other this was not done. 



