292 A Sportsman at Large 



This same Larry Coleman had as lieutenant one Micky 

 Magee, of Simian countenance, side whiskers and that pretty 

 wit for which the inhabitants of Connemara are famous. 

 But the two were always at loggerheads. As soon as one 

 made a statement the other flatly contradicted it. 



This was the sort of thing that went on. Let us suppose 

 that Teddy and I have just taken our seats in the boat which 

 Coleman has pushed 06 : 



Myself. " This should be a good day, Larry ? " 



Larry. " Indade, an ut whill, sorr ! " 



Micky. " It will not! Faith ! there's teu much sun." 



Larry. " Shure, yez don't knaw phwat yez tarkin' about, 

 yez ormadhaun ! " 



(Time passes and my companion selects his flies.) 



Teddy. "What do you think of this 'fiery Brown,' 

 Larry ? It ought to do the trick, I think." 



Larry. " An' indade ut's a foine floi, yer 'anner. Ut is 

 that ! " 



Micky (on the bow thwart, gloomily). " Faith, ut's naw 

 good ut all ut all. Divil a fish whill look at ut ! " 



(And so on and so forth all day and every day.) 



The information we had received about Sna Beg proved 

 accurate enough. This cast was in the narrows which connect 

 the Castle Lake with the next of the chain, called Glendalough. 

 Here I placed my guest, on the ledge of rock commanding 

 the narrows ; whilst I proceeded in the boat with Coleman to 

 a rock which lay at the mouth of the strait. I began fishing 

 with a " claret and jay." Before I had cast this half a dozen 

 times I was into a lively fish which, when brought to net, 

 pulled the scale at eleven pounds. I rose another, but it failed 

 to attach itself. Meanwhile, Teddy, excellent angler though 

 he was, had thrashed the narrows without any response. I 

 found him at his stance, and caught a gleam of envy, hatred 

 and malice in his eye. This saturnine expression was fearfully 

 accentuated when, casually casting my lure across the waters, 

 it was immediately seized by a fish which was successfully 

 landed, a fresh-run nine-pounder. 



But this sort of pleasantry did not continue, for it was 

 many days before another salmon came to hand. This I 



