A NORFOLK RECTORY 
13 1 
directly a good fish was discovered on the feed. In went S. up 
to his knees, a safe distance below, crouching close to the side 
and taking care in moving not to send a wave upstream and 
disturb the water. He was, however, at the first try doomed to 
failure, for a little fish must needs start close to him and rush 
upstream, crying "cave" as it went, and putting everything on 
the alert for the next twenty yards or more. A second fish was 
soon stalked and a fly sent floating down almost above his very 
nose. This was done twice or thrice without a sign. “ I must 
try another pattern, for he will not look at this,” was the only 
remark. A second fly accordingly was tried and offered as 
before, but was treated with the same contempt. Just then 
down came a natural fly on the water, which S. caught in his 
hand. “ Now I see what they are rising at.” One like it was 
produced from the fly book and tied on, and at the first cast fell 
lightly on the water, six inches above the fish. The result was 
instantaneous. “ I am into him at last ! be quick, get below 
him with the net.” There was a struggle, a splash, and a rush 
or two, and then I landed him. It was a fair case of outwitting, 
on the principle of fine and far with a dry fly cast upstream. 
He weighed ij lb. We had him for dinner that night ; he was 
as pink as a salmon, and wasn’t he good ? 
But before dinner we had an hour to spare, and I was asked 
to go and kill a rabbit or two to beguile the time. This I 
refused. I did not know the ground, the paper had just come, and 
I was deep in the debate in Parliament upon the Tithe Rating 
Act, which to many a poor parson will make the difference 
between dry bread and bread-and-butter. So S. took his gun 
and went off by himself. There were five shots in quick suc- 
cession, and in twenty minutes he was back with four rabbits 
and a hare, just by way of “ keeping down the butcher’s bill.” 
Next day we agreed to go a mile and a half down stream and 
fish up, and 1 was duly overhauled to see if I would do. My 
boots were pronounced too good (I wish they were), as they 
would not let out the water fast enough when wading. So a 
really holey pair were found, but since they hurt my toes a pen- 
knife was freely used. This cured the ill at once. They cer- 
tainly let the water out, but they also let the gravel in, as I 
found to my cost when walking home. Epilobium and other 
water plants, nearly eight feet high, lined the banks to the 
water’s edge. There were many trees on either side with 
branches overhead ; and, as the weeds just here had not been cut, 
it was an awkward stretch to fish, and I got into many diffi- 
culties. Not so my companion ; it was all the same to him, and, 
as there was a good rise on, the sport was fast and furious. 
The fish, however, often broke away by taking refuge in the 
tangled mass of weed, and we were forced to be very rough with 
them to try and keep them on the top of the water. At times 
we had to throw down our rods, and following the line with our 
hands, grapple a hooked fish, weeds and all, sometimes with 
