CHAPTER VII. 



FLY-FISHING. 



"Slave, I have set my life upon a oast." — 



Richard III. Act V. Scene iv. 



JxING Kichard the Third must indeed have been passion- 

 ately fond of fly-fishing, to get into such a rage about it, 

 as the immortal bard of Avon here records. It is cer- 

 tainly provoking to be interrupted, just as you are going 

 to have a cast over a particular fish that you have seen 

 rising steadily at the natural fly. But then he must 

 have been an uncommonly good fisherman to lay such 

 heavy stakes on his taking the fish at the first throw; for 

 such we understand to be the meaning of the passage. 

 Is any one of our readers half as fond of fly-fishing? 

 If so, 



"A sudden thought strikes me; 

 "Let us swear eternal friendship," 



for stoutly though I have argued in favor of spinning 

 for Mahseer, as being the most killing way of fishing for 

 them, and unable though I am to retract, still I could 

 wish that fly-fishing were as killing a way, for it is to 

 my mind the most fascinating style of fishing going. I 

 refer particularly to fly-fishing with a single handed rod 

 and very light tackle for trout. The nicety of skill that 



13 



