er about amongst wet osiers, nettles, and rushes with
impunity. The best hat for me has been one with a moderately soft and
wide brim that may be turned down like a roof, to shoot off the rain
behind, or to shelter the eyes from the sun in front. The felt
fly-band is a very serviceable affair, but, to avoid taking off the
hat, the user of eyed hooks may have a band of felt stitched round the
upper part of the left arm. Above all, let the angler wear the best
woollen underclothing, and in winter plenty of it.

Finally, brethren, and in conclusion, let me say that when fishing in
light marching order one has to dispense with many odds and ends that
are in themselves fisherman's comforts, though not precisely
essentials. The "priest" wherewith to knock your fish on the head, the
machine for weighing him on the spot, the spare boxes of tackle, the
second rod, or joints, may be done without. If you bring yourself to
study how little you require for a day's outing, it is astonishing how
much you will by and by leave behind. We are prone, of course, to make
arrangements for a great catch, both in numbers and weights; take a
23-lb. creel for bringing home a brace of pounders, enough tackle to
last the season through, and each article on scale as to solidity.
Once in a hundred times, and not more, will the result be equal to the
preparation. Still, there is a sort of pleasure in being equal to any
emergency, though at the cost of personal convenience.

CHAPTER XII

THE SALMON AND THE KODAK

We had waited with exemplary patience for the dropping of the water.
There had been a fairly heavy flood during the last week in February,
but there would be no trouble with floating ice; that, at least, was a
comfort when one remembered the cruel sufferings from exposure of the
previous year. The Rowan Tree Pool is, in the early part of the spring
season, a sure find for a fish if you can but catch it in the humour.
The humour, however, does not last long, and you require to know that
pool with the intimacy of personal experience to hit it at the right
time; you have to study its countenance, and then, sooner or later, the
afternoon will arrive when you say "Thank the stars; she will be in
order to-morrow." This year the to-morrow when it did dawn admirably
suited the purpose of two friends of mine who were in temporary
possession of the Rowan Pool. Cold weather one takes as a matter of
course, grumbling not if the wind b