pleasure. But sea and fresh water anglers all
over the world need not be reminded that a wet boat is an abomination;
what, then, must it be when it is caused by hours of snowfall, large
flakes softly wet? Everything gets drenched and sopping, and it really
appeared as if these white hazelnut flakes were possessed by an elfish
desire to baffle your most careful efforts to keep them out. My
waterproof bag was to the human eye impervious; but there was one
unnoticed opening not an inch long by half an inch wide, and the flakes
discovered it at once. There was a japanned metal fly box upon which
they might have had their will, but that was not sufficient; they fixed
upon the soft leather wallet with the precious gut casts, and made a
much too successful attack upon the paper packet of sandwiches. At the
waterside I had looked at my companions, expecting them to cry off; as
I said before, however, this almost blinding snow was merely ordinary
business, and I huddled down in my place, thankful that there was no
cold wind, no wind at all, to drive the trial home.

We were soon turning to shore with our first fish, and I was grateful
for the stout arm and shoulders of the friendly skipper, who helped me
out of the slippery boat, up and up to a standing point on the more
slippery bank. On this beat the banks were awkward, high, and backed
by copse, so that you stood amongst undergrowth, and this was a very
different thing from the gentle slopes of clear sward. It came all
right, nevertheless; in life generally the wind undoubtedly very often,
if we had but the common gratitude to think so, is tempered to the
shorn lamb. Wherefore the old bell wether got through these trifles
without a tumble. The incidents that had to be deplored were what the
salmon fisherman calls the kelt nuisance. We had it in liberal
allowance this day. It would be wearisome to enter into details of the
successive happenings so great is their family resemblance.

The first landing was to get rid of a kelt; and in all, if I may
anticipate, we had five of them--a small fish of, say, 6 lb., and the
rest between 12 lb. and 15 lb. Now and again with the kelts you have a
positive fight, but as a rule they hang on and move tardily, yet
without risk of smashing something you cannot hasten the finale. At
the worst they are a little better than pike. The one bonny spring
fish was an absolute contrast, though of course even clean salmon in
February are