LAKE AND STREAM 211 



sing when the rain is past : is it about 

 to stop ? Happily, the woodland music, 

 which was over in a few minutes, seems 

 to have been a false alarm. The rain is 

 better than ever. Water is gurgling 

 down the eaves of the cottages, trick- 

 hng over the pebble paths in the gardens, 

 and racing in the ditches beside the 

 high road. 



It is now nearly ten o'clock, and the 

 eager villagers go to bed. 



They are not there long. You are an 

 early riser indeed if you are first on the 

 stream in the morning. Rather is it 

 likely that every fifty yards or so you 

 wiU see a villager, rod in hand, the point 

 of it low down near the surface of the 

 stream while the end of the butt supports 

 his elbow, moving very slowly along the 

 bank. All the fishermen in the little 

 community have been out since break of 

 day. Intently watching his line, which, 

 you notice, is very close inshore, each 

 is moving with the bait as the current 

 bears it down. 



