116 TROUT FISHING 



fish in a broad rough pool under a water- 

 fall on the Fife Eden. He had not, he told 

 me, been on the river for very many years ; 

 but the weather had been pleasant that 

 morning, and he had thought of coming 

 out to cast a fly. Wishing him good luck, 

 I passed on ; and, having fished diligently 

 for two hours not far ofi", I wandered back 

 towards home, and came upon the old 

 gentleman where I had left him. My own 

 basket held a brace of trout, each fish 

 about half a pound. I wondered, Had 

 even so much as this modest fortune 

 come the way of the ancient sportsman ? 



Lying beside him on the grassy bank 

 where he was seated were the finest five 

 trout I had ever known to be taken from 

 that stream or any other I Each of them 

 seemed to be well over two pounds. 



As I was gazing upon them, almost 

 doubting the evidence of my eyes, the old 

 gentleman said, " Hullo ! They're really 

 on the feed to-day"; and, looking up, 

 I saw, from the bend of his rod, that 

 he had hooked another. He played it. 



