luck, do not soothe the
temper, and they certainly do not assist him to joyousness and success.

As a matter of course our friend smacks hard at the first fish which
rises, and hails the returning collar, minus point and fly, with a
sarcastic grin, as if some evil genius outside himself had done the
deed. Henceforth he will be in the mood to invite all mishaps that are
possible and probable. In climbing a stile he will tickle the hawthorn
hedge with his rod top, swing his suspended landing net into the
thorns, and perhaps shake his fly-book out of his pocket in petulant
descent from the top bar. If there is a bramble thicket anywhere in
the parish, or a tall patch of meadow sweet in the rear, or a
convenient gorse clump handy, be sure his flies will find them out.
Another man would coolly proceed to extricate them; he pulls and hauls,
and swears, carrying away his gear, and is lucky if his rod is left
sound. In wading he goes in sooner or later over the tops of his
stockings, cracks off his flies through haste in returning the line,
and altogether fills his day full of small, unnecessary grievances.
That this is possible I know full well. I have done it all myself.
But the minor tribulations I had in my mind when I began to write this
modest essay were not precisely of this kind, which are the heritage of
those habitual unfortunates who are, in a measure, beyond hope of
redemption. I had the pleasure of curing one of them, however, by
pointing out to him the cause of his chronic irritation, producing
haste, and a long train of inevitable ills. Anything in the shape of a
burden about his body chafed him; and this being so, I need scarcely
add that his equipment was always on the largest scale. The obvious
suggestion was that he should hire a boy to carry his great creel,
superfluous clothes, spare rod, and landing net. By proving to him
that the expenses would be less than the amount of losses and breakages
of both tackle and temper, he was induced to take my advice, and he was
henceforth a converted character. My theme is, rather than palpably
preventable disasters, the small accidents that will happen to the most
careful anglers, especially if they put off their preparations to the
last moment. Provoking is scarcely the word for the calamity of
travelling a long distance by rail and road to realise that you have
brought everything, including odds and ends that you will never use,
but have left an important f