220 THE TROUT ARE RISING 
so I asked Barclay to have a try, so that I could 
watch and see how things went with him ; and 
very soon I was able to tell him, when he was 
playing a fish, “The identical moment the 
trout came at your fly you struck him. Well 
done!” 
This reminds me of a personal performance 
which the reader will forgive me for relating. I was 
fishing in that district one afternoon by myself, 
when a friendly farmer rode by with his “ boys ” 
(Kaffirs, no matter what age, are called ‘“‘ boys” 
in South Africa) in attendance ; they were off to 
a distant sheep farm, part of the routine pro- 
gramme of the sheep farmers in those parts, Out 
of sheer gaiety of heart, I said: “Tl see if I can 
catch a trout for you to take with you.” No 
sooner had the words been said than I bethought 
me : “ What folly to hold out such a rash hope !” 
But sometimes the fireworks go off at the right 
time. A nice trout was at once risen, hooked, 
played, and landed, and duly handed over to the 
farmer, whose grateful acceptance of it made me 
remember the little incident with pleasure. 
It will have been noted that a dry-fly rod has 
been recommended for consideration in planning 
out equipment. Confession shall be made that, 
until coming back to England towards the end 
of 1915, 1 never possessed a dry-fly rod, having 
always previously been a devotee of the wet fly. 
Furthermore, I am of opinion that the wet fly 
in South Africa is, on the whole, more effective 
than the dry fly. But the delight I have had in 
