188 CAEPE DIEM 



I struck at a decided bite, and found that I was 

 fast in a good fish, which, after a lively bit of 

 splashing and dashing about (the water was only 

 knee-deep, though so muddy the fish could not see 

 us), I led into a little haven or pond, where the 

 inmates of a cottage in the wood came to get their 

 water, and lifted him out with my hands — a tidy 

 fish of three pounds in weight. In about a quarter 

 of an hour A.'s float moved slightly. He was 

 all excitement directly. He had never caught any- 

 thing larger than a half-pound trout. Some 

 minutes elapsed before another movement took 

 place. 



" He has left it," said A. 



" No, he has not. Don't move ; you will get him 

 presently." 



Then the float or quill gave a couple of dips ; 

 then in a few seconds more moved off with increas- 

 ing rapidity. " Now strike. A. did so, and soon 

 landed a carp of two pounds. From that time we 

 had steady sport throughout the day. Every 

 quarter of an hour one of us had a bite ; and 

 although we missed a good many through striking 

 too soon, our respective heaps of golden-brown fish 

 (very few of the carp there are at all white) grew 

 rapidly in size. 



As we were coming back from a small larch-tree 



