DUCK-SHOOTING. • 373 



mirably, while a blue vest, a white flannel coat, red 

 neck-tie and crimson cap, combined all the colors 

 that were least likely to alarm the fish. 



" The other anglers collected at the hotel kindly 

 aided me with their advice, for which I was truly 

 grateful. They rigged out my leader with flies, 

 and convincingly proving that the more flies used 

 the more fish must be taken, fastened on thirteen. 

 Conroy had hardly served me fairly in selecting my 

 assortment, for they were pronounced by all not to 

 be half large or bright enough. It was clear that the 

 larger the fly the easier the fish could see it, and the 

 more surely it would catch ; so they loaned me a 

 number, principally yellow, green, and blue, which 

 was the more generous of them, as they had but few 

 of the same sort themselves. 



" They impressed upon me to be up early, because 

 trout will not bite after sunrise — besides, I knew 

 from the proverb that worms were more easily ob- 

 tained early; and it was still dark when, having 

 passed a restless few hours, I awoke and dressed. 

 The house was silent, not a person to interfere with 

 me, and having set up my rod the night before, I 

 crept cautiously down stairs. The tip would slash 

 about and knock at the doors and on the walls as I 

 passed, and gave me great trouble in turning the 

 corners of the stairs, but I reached the hall door 

 safely and stepped out upon the piazza. 



" I had hardly congratulated myself, when, hear- 

 ing a suspicious growl, and recollecting that the 

 tavern-keeper had a cress mastifi", I turned, and saw 



