CARPE DIEM 187 



twenty or thirty coots and waterhens, and some 

 black leaves sticking up out of the water, which 

 are the things we are after." 



" What do you mean ? " asked A. 



" They are the back fins of carp." 



A.'s rods — he had two, as I had — were put 

 together with remarkable quickness. I took it 

 more leisurely, and watched him searching about 

 for a place to cast his line in, with some amuse- 

 ment. 



" I say, how are we to get at the water ? " he 

 cried. 



" Wade." But this he was averse to doing. He 

 found a log of wood, and pushing it oat beyond the 

 bushes, where it was very shallow, he took his 

 stand upon it in a very wobbley state, with a rod 

 in either hand. I took up a position a short dis- 

 tance from him, and we waited patiently for half 

 an hour without a bite. Suddenly I heard a splash, 

 and looking round, saw that A. had slipped off his 

 perch, and was halfway up to his knees in water, 

 with a broken rod and a most rueful expression on 

 his face. 



" I have lost such a beauty." 



" Serves you right. You can't pitch a big carp 

 out like you could a trout. This is the way — 

 see." 



