WEEKS IN WORCESTERSHIRE 97 
made well behind, then a momentary pause, then 
with a turn of the wrist—all from the wrist—the 
line went forward, followed by a clean pick-up, 
body still all the while. Steady practice showed 
no deterioration. ‘This was a case worth cultiva- 
ting, so the following day he went into waders, 
with fly-rod, tapered line, tapered cast, dry fly, 
and all complete. It was just the same. On 
the Teme he handled the 1o-ft. rod lovingly. 
Gradually, more and more line, but never more 
than he could control, went out ; the fly dropping 
like snow-flake. The grayling he rose he lost— 
one must have been a pounder, which broke 
loose near the net—and for the great event he 
was content to wait. No more bottom-fishing 
for him, he said, when fly-fishing was available. 
Only once before have I seen a novice with a 
fly-rod shape so well. That was in Natal, on the 
Mooi. He was a young, Colonial-born farmer, 
and, although his line did not fall so gracefully, 
yet he quickly got home, and in two days he was, 
unaided, playing and landing trout, one of them 
the best of the season. ‘The last time we met 
was in South-West Africa, and you, John, were 
just the same good fellow you always were. 
Evidently you have kept up your fly-fishing, for 
here in London, just as this book is going into 
print, I have received a letter, written by you in 
Natal about it. It is so interesting that perhaps 
the reader will kindly let me leave the Teme for 
a few moments, in order to make two or three 
extracts. In your letter, John, you say: “I 
H 
