re the opportunity of angling taken away from him."
"Where is he?" cried I; "I don't see either a river or a fisherman."
"Don't see!" was the answer, "why he is there, there at the bend in the
stream." I followed the direction of the speaker's finger with my eye,
and beheld, sure enough, a gentleman seated comfortably on the long
grass beside some alder bushes, and smoking his pipe. "You don't mean
that the angler is there," exclaimed I. "Yes, I do though," replied
mine host, "and see, he has just got a bite." Sure enough the sedentary
sportsman put forth one of his hands just as these words were uttered,
and grasping the butt of a willow wand, seemed to give it a slight
hitch in the air; but no results followed. It was quietly laid aside
again, and the smoking resumed.

I now turned round, and with a countenance strongly expressive of
horror, begged to be informed if this were really the stream. I
received an answer in the affirmative, the solemnity of which was too
much, first, for the risible faculties of my young companion, and then
for my own. We literally roared with laughter. But we checked ourselves
as soon as possible, and having explained to our guide how widely
different were our notions of angling from his, had the satisfaction to
perceive that no offence was given. We now joined the Austrian officer,
and found that he had caught nothing; a fortune which did not improve
with him during the two or three hours which we loitered away in his
company.

There was no fishing to be had, that was clear enough; but we had
brought some bread and butter and wine with us, in a contrary
expectation, and these we discussed. Of course our brother sportsman
joined us in this operation; and we were not slow in discovering, that
though we had failed in finding trout, we had stumbled upon an obliging
and intelligent companion. He had served in the campaigns of 1812, 13,
and 14; was wounded at the battle of Leipsig; passed a year or two in
France during the occupation of that country by the Allies, and was
therefore proud to say, had been commanded by the Duke of Wellington.
Since the peace, he had spent a year or two at Ancona with his
regiment, but in consequence of the rupture of a blood-vessel in his
lungs, had since been discharged upon a pension. Since retiring from
the service, he had married a woman with some little property; and now
lived with his father in Gabel, who held, under government, a license
for the sale of