. In God's out-of-doors. Natural history. I GO A-FISHING. '{Zâ ^f&.â >/S^â 'J^Ji^'y^/^ 0 tell the truth, scarcely a fisherman's bent as you will suggest, 1 am an ill fisherman. 1 would not decoy some ardent lover of rod and line to read these inconsequent lines, thinking I was piscatorial artist, or that 1 had fast friendship with our good friend, quaint and gentle, Ike Walton. We are bare acquaintances. 1 met him once, once only, along the river Dove tak- ing a grayling from his hook, and so not seeing me, for so true a fisherman was always more engrossed with fish than men (nor do I b
. In God's out-of-doors. Natural history. I GO A-FISHING. '{Zâ ^f&.â >/S^â 'J^Ji^'y^/^ 0 tell the truth, scarcely a fisherman's bent as you will suggest, 1 am an ill fisherman. 1 would not decoy some ardent lover of rod and line to read these inconsequent lines, thinking I was piscatorial artist, or that 1 had fast friendship with our good friend, quaint and gentle, Ike Walton. We are bare acquaintances. 1 met him once, once only, along the river Dove tak- ing a grayling from his hook, and so not seeing me, for so true a fisherman was always more engrossed with fish than men (nor do I blame him): and 1 was only wandering along the stream watching the shadows on the quiet water and the pools where sunlight came and staid as taking a whole day of holiday. No, 1 know as little about fishing as about botany. 1 know not what sort of bait catches what sort of fish. 1 seldom get a nibble, and much more rarely get a fish, though Provi- dence knows 1 wish the fish knew how safe it is to intrust themselves to my hook, for I throw back into the stream, with scant reluctance, the fish I catch. 1 am much more pious and tender-hearted than your piety- professing fisherman, who, while he talks gently of the " gentle art," kills whom he surprises, like any other bandit, and lays snares like an assas- sin, and fresh in iniquity says his prayers like a murderer making the sign of the cross above the corpse he has made. No, I never knew enough, or so little, 1 know not which, as to succeed in catching fish, yet I say boldly, though as I hope with modesty, that I can throw a line into the water and let it stay there with a degree of resolution worthy of a French cavalier of the reign of Louis the Saint. To state the facts frankly, as becometh a Christian, I, having had many friends who were 81. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnatural, bookyear1902
