XIV 
THE CHANCE ENCOUNTER 
HETHER one is fishing or not, when 
in a part of country hitherto un- 
visited, one is sure to come across 
matters of interest. The local colour 
of new places is so vivid to the stranger that he 
finds it hard to realize that dullness is to be found 
there as elsewhere. To him the everyday life of 
the people is attractive, there is history to be 
related of town or village, and glorious open-air 
country is at hand. Perhaps most fascinating is 
the prospect of a happy chance meeting. The man 
to whom human nature appeals is always having 
chance meetings, which may ripen into lifelong 
friendships. 
I shall ever be grateful to the chance meeting 
which gave me the acquaintance of the Major who 
figures so prominently in these pages. We came 
across each other casually at Dulverton, exchanged 
a few words two or three times, and met just once 
on the river bank. I was greatly interested in 
his enormous album containing photographs, 
which he himself had taken: it was obvious he 
had been in many parts of the world. Rivers at 
