208 A Sportsman at Large 



lost a three-pound sea-trout when trying to hand-haul him 

 to the beach. So much for Peter's condemnation of this 

 excellent little pitch 1 



I have come to the conclusion that such pools are condemned 

 by natives because years ago they had proved uriprolific. 

 Then certain floods in after times had probably so altered the 

 flow of the stream and the conformation of its sides and bottom 

 as to provide enticing resting-holes and trenches for the fish. 

 But not having had the hardihood to further test pools which 

 had been all along regarded as " wash-outs/' the said natives 

 had continued to harbour the same archaic prejudice, greatly 

 to their loss. 



Peter was dumb with amazement when he beheld what I 

 had pulled out of his pet aversion. 



Whilst awarding one of the salmon " the royal order of 

 the knock " a blue scarab tie-pin a genuine antique pre- 

 sented to me with great ceremony by an illustrious Egypto- 

 logist as a sure amulet against ill-luck and a marvellous 

 mascot for the successful wooing of the fickle goddess For- 

 tune, came loose, and lost itself in the flotsam and jetsam 

 which strewed the beach. Search as I would, I could find no 

 trace of it. At last I gave it up as a bad job. 



I am not a superstitious person, but somehow the loss of 

 this pin greatly perturbed me. 



The very next day, when fishing Solem pdl, Ole Larsen, 

 our boy of all work, brought me a telegram. As I tore open 

 the envelope I presaged trouble. It was from a sister-in- 

 law in Hampshire, who was looking after my youngest son 

 Lionel then but three years of age announcing that my 

 child had contracted diphtheria and was in parlous state ! 



Thus was I at a moment's notice plunged from the genial 

 glow of sporting enthusiasm into a state of agonized misery 

 and suspense. Of course my first thought was how to get 

 back to the little one ; but there was no boat for five days ! 

 Well, I knew the deadly swiftness of the horrible disease. 

 I had lost one little sister (Alicia) by its lethal attack ; another 

 sister (Ada) had only just pulled through ; whilst I myself 

 had had a severe dose of the distemper. What was I to do ? 

 I sent Bedford, hot foot, to telegraph to my sister-in-law, 



