36 THE TROUT ARE RISING 
busy, and wading, when cautiously undertaken, 
helped one to reach good spots. The cast con- 
sisted of blue upright, February red, and heron’s 
wing. Scarcely had a start been made before the 
sun, as if impatient of restraint, burst through 
the clouds. Out came immediately a hatch of 
blue duns, and up rose the game little trout. 
Soon one rose to the blue upright, and was safely 
landed, the first trout of the visit. Then two, 
three, four, five more came to the basket; all 
from practically the same spot, and all in good 
condition. On most rivers, these trout would 
have had to be returned ; here, the quarter-pound 
trout is indisputably takeable, and on the table, 
prepared in the true west-country manner, it is 4 
delicacy which the guests are not slow to demolish. 
It was chiefly the blue upright that was fancied 
by the trout that day. Indeed one ardent angler 
lower down had, I found, three of these flies on 
his cast. 
To me, most happily engaged, presently came 
a Somersetshire youngster along the bank, He 
seemed to be specially interested in the brand 
new pair of waders. ‘* Do them things let in the 
water, zur?” he inquired. The reply was a stout 
negative, qualified by an inward hope that the many 
brambles and briars by the riverside would be 
kind enough not to prove mea liar. That hope, 
alas, was later disappointed. Even here, in this 
remote and peaceful valley, came a quick reminder 
of the convulsions in the outer world. For the 
lad’s next words were: “ My brother, zur, is one 
