FIN AND FUR ON SURREY HILLS. 73 



hook was attached. Then from his tobacco-box he 

 pulled out one of his owlets, and, evidently knowing 

 well what he was about, he placed the moth. " I'm 

 agoing to wiggle fur 'em," said he. Then he made 

 his way into the cover, with such gentleness of move- 

 ment that I only knew of his whereabouts by seeing 

 him look over the splashed hazel bank of the pond 

 on the other side, the light throwing his shadow 

 behind him. Marksman was knowing in all details ; 

 but he had an original way of proceeding that always 

 had great fascination for me, and I learned many a 

 "wrinkle" from him. He very quietly unwound the 

 line by turning his forked stick the reverse way as 

 it neared the water, and I could see him gently 

 jerking it up and down to imitate the flight of the 

 insect. Then he let it drop on the water, close to 

 the bank, and gave his owlet a motion as if it were 

 struggling to rise from the pond, after falling in. 



Another wiggle, and then came a sound, sock ! 

 The stick was raised, the line as tight as any harp- 

 string, and up the bank went a trout, being out of 

 sight in the most extraordinarily quick fashion. The 

 next moment, with a grin all over his face. Marks- 

 man held it up for inspection ; a real beauty it was. 



