three men in a boat-第42章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



pike；　roach；　dace；　gudgeon；　and　eels；　just　here；　and　you　can　sit　and　fish　

for　them　all　day。



Some　people　do。　　They　never　catch　them。　　I　never　knew　anybody　catch　

anything；　up　the　Thames；　except　minnows　and　dead　cats；　but　that　has　

nothing　to　do；　of　course；　with　fishing！　　The　local　fisherman's　guide　

doesn't　say　a　word　about　catching　anything。　　All　it　says　is　the　place　is　

〃a　good　station　for　fishing；〃　and；　from　what　I　have　seen　of　the　district；　

I　am　quite　prepared　to　bear　out　this　statement。



There　is　no　spot　in　the　world　where　you　can　get　more　fishing；　or　where　

you　can　fish　for　a　longer　period。　　Some　fishermen　come　here　and　fish　for　

a　day；　and　others　stop　and　fish　for　a　month。　　You　can　hang　on　and　fish　

for　a　year；　if　you　want　to：　it　will　be　all　the　same。



The　ANGLER'S　GUIDE　TO　THE　THAMES　says　that　〃jack　and　perch　are　also　to　be　

had　about　here；〃　but　there　the　ANGLER'S　GUIDE　is　wrong。　　Jack　and　perch　

may　BE　about　there。　　Indeed；　I　know　for　a　fact　that　they　are。　　You　can　

SEE　them　there　in　shoals；　when　you　are　out　for　a　walk　along　the　banks：　

they　come　and　stand　half　out　of　the　water　with　their　mouths　open　for　

biscuits。　　And；　if　you　go　for　a　bathe；　they　crowd　round；　and　get　in　your　

way；　and　irritate　you。　　But　they　are　not　to　be　〃had〃　by　a　bit　of　worm　on　

the　end　of　a　hook；　nor　anything　like　it　…　not　they！



I　am　not　a　good　fisherman　myself。　　I　devoted　a　considerable　amount　of　

attention　to　the　subject　at　one　time；　and　was　getting　on；　as　I　thought；　

fairly　well；　but　the　old　hands　told　me　that　I　should　never　be　any　real　

good　at　it；　and　advised　me　to　give　it　up。　　They　said　that　I　was　an　

extremely　neat　thrower；　and　that　I　seemed　to　have　plenty　of　gumption　for　

the　thing；　and　quite　enough　constitutional　laziness。　　But　they　were　sure　

I　should　never　make　anything　of　a　fisherman。　　I　had　not　got　sufficient　

imagination。



They　said　that　as　a　poet；　or　a　shilling　shocker；　or　a　reporter；　or　

anything　of　that　kind；　I　might　be　satisfactory；　but　that；　to　gain　any　

position　as　a　Thames　angler；　would　require　more　play　of　fancy；　more　power　

of　invention　than　I　appeared　to　possess。



Some　people　are　under　the　impression　that　all　that　is　required　to　make　a　

good　fisherman　is　the　ability　to　tell　lies　easily　and　without　blushing；　

but　this　is　a　mistake。　　Mere　bald　fabrication　is　useless；　the　veriest　

tyro　can　manage　that。　　It　is　in　the　circumstantial　detail；　the　

embellishing　touches　of　probability；　the　general　air　of　scrupulous　…　

almost　of　pedantic　…　veracity；　that　the　experienced　angler　is　seen。



Anybody　can　come　in　and　say；　〃Oh；　I　caught　fifteen　dozen　perch　yesterday　

evening；〃　or　〃Last　Monday　I　landed　a　gudgeon；　weighing　eighteen　pounds；　

and　measuring　three　feet　from　the　tip　to　the　tail。〃



There　is　no　art；　no　skill；　required　for　that　sort　of　thing。　　It　shows　

pluck；　but　that　is　all。



No；　your　accomplished　angler　would　scorn　to　tell　a　lie；　that　way。　　His　

method　is　a　study　in　itself。



He　comes　in　quietly　with　his　hat　on；　appropriates　the　most　comfortable　

chair；　lights　his　pipe；　and　commences　to　puff　in　silence。　　He　lets　the　

youngsters　brag　away　for　a　while；　and　then；　during　a　momentary　lull；　he　

removes　the　pipe　from　his　mouth；　and　remarks；　as　he　knocks　the　ashes　out　

against　the　bars：



〃Well；　I　had　a　haul　on　Tuesday　evening　that　it's　not　much　good　my　telling　

anybody　about。〃



〃Oh！　why's　that？〃　they　ask。



〃Because　I　don't　expect　anybody　would　believe　me　if　I　did；〃　replies　the　

old　fellow　calmly；　and　without　even　a　tinge　of　bitterness　in　his　tone；　as　

he　refills　his　pipe；　and　requests　the　landlord　to　bring　him　three　of　

Scotch；　cold。



There　is　a　pause　after　this；　nobody　feeling　sufficiently　sure　of　himself　

to　contradict　the　old　gentleman。　　So　he　has　to　go　on　by　himself　without　

any　encouragement。



〃No；〃　he　continues　thoughtfully；　〃I　shouldn't　believe　it　myself　if　

anybody　told　it　to　me；　but　it's　a　fact；　for　all　that。　　I　had　been　sitting　

there　all　the　afternoon　and　had　caught　literally　nothing　…　except　a　few　

dozen　dace　and　a　score　of　jack；　and　I　was　just　about　giving　it　up　as　a　

bad　job　when　I　suddenly　felt　a　rather　smart　pull　at　the　line。　　I　thought　

it　was　another　little　one；　and　I　went　to　jerk　it　up。　　Hang　me；　if　I　could　

move　the　rod！　　It　took　me　half…an…hour　…　half…an…hour；　sir！　…　to　land　

that　fish；　and　every　moment　I　thought　the　line　was　going　to　snap！　　I　

reached　him　at　last；　and　what　do　you　think　it　was？　　A　sturgeon！　a　forty　

pound　sturgeon！　taken　on　a　line；　sir！　　Yes；　you　may　well　look　surprised　…　

I'll　have　another　three　of　Scotch；　landlord；　please。〃



And　then　he　goes　on　to　tell　of　the　astonishment　of　everybody　who　saw　it；　

and　what　his　wife　said；　when　he　got　home；　and　of　what　Joe　Buggles　thought　

about　it。



I　asked　the　landlord　of　an　inn　up　the　river　once；　if　it　did　not　injure　

him；　sometimes；　listening　to　the　tales　that　the　fishermen　about　there　

told　him；　and　he　said：



〃Oh；　no；　not　now；　sir。　　It　did　used　to　knock　me　over　a　bit　at　first；　but；　

lor　love　you！　me　and　the　missus　we　listens　to　‘em　all　day　now。　　It's　what　

you're　used　to；　you　know。　　It's　what　you're　used　to。〃



I　knew　a　young　man　once；　he　was　a　most　conscientious　fellow；　and；　when　he　

took　to　fly…fishing；　he　determined　never　to　exaggerate　his　hauls　by　more　

than　twenty…five　per　cent。



〃When　I　have　caught　forty　fish；〃　said　he；　〃then　I　will　tell　people　that　I　

have　caught　fifty；　and　so　on。　　But　I　will　not　lie　any　more　than　that；　

because　it　is　sinful　to　lie。〃



But　the　twenty…five　per　cent。　plan　did　not　work　well　at　all。　　He　never　

was　able　to　use　it。　　The　greatest　number　of　fish　he　ever　caught　in　one　

day　was　three；　and　you　can't　add　twenty…five　per　cent。　to　three　…　at　

least；　not　in　fish。



So　he　increased　his　percentage　to　thirty…three…and…a…third；　but　that；　

again；　was　awkward；　when　he　had　only　caught　one　or　two；　so；　to　simplify　

matters；　he　made　up　his　mind　to　just　double　the　quantity。



He　stuck　to　this　arrangement　for　a　couple　of　months；　and　then　he　grew　

dissatisfied　with　it。　　Nobody　believed　him　when　he　told　them　that　he　only　

doubled；　and　he；　therefore；　gained　no　credit　that　way　whatever；　while　his　

moderation　put　him　at　a　disadvantage　among　the　other　anglers。　　When　he　

had　really　caught　three　small　fish；　and　said　he　had　caught　six；　it　used　

to　make　him　quite　jealous　to　hear　a　man；　whom　he　knew　for　a　fact　had　only　

caught　one；　going　about　telling　people　he　had　landed　two　dozen。



So；　eventually；　he　made　one　final　arrangement　with　himself；　which　he　has　

religiously　held　to　ever　since；　and　that　was　to　count　each　fish　that　he　

caught　as　ten；　and　to　assume　ten　to　begin　with。　　For　example；　if　he　did　

not　catch　any　fish　at　all；　then　he　said　he　had　caught　ten　fish　…　you　

could　never　catch　less　than　ten　fish　by　his　system；　that　was　the　

foundation　of　it。　　Then；　if　by　any　chance　he　really　did　catch　one　fish；　

he　called　it　twenty；　while　two　fish　would　count　thirty；　three　forty；　and　

so　on。



It　is　a　simple　and　easily　worked　plan；　and　there　has　been　some　talk　

lately　of　its　being　made　use　of　by　the　angling　fraternity　in　general。　　

Indeed；　the　Committee　of　the　Thames　Angler's　Association　did　recommend　

its　adoption　about　two　years　ago；　but　some　of　the　older　members　opposed　

it。　　They　said　they　would　consider　the　idea　if　the　number　were　doubled；　

and　each　fish　counted　as　twenty。



If　ever　you　have　an　evening　to　spare；　up　the　river；　I　should　advise　you　

to　drop　into　one　of　the　little　village　inns；　and　take　a　seat　in　the　tap…

room。　　You　will　be　nearly　sure　to　meet　one　or　two　old　rod…men；　sipping　

their　toddy　there；　and　they　will　tell　you　enough　fishy　stories；　in　half　

an　hour；　to　give　you　indigestion　for　a　month。



George　and　I　…　I　don't　know　what　had　become　of　Harris；　he　had　gone　out　

and　had　a　shave；　early　in　the　afternoon；　and　had　then　come　back　and　spent　

full　forty　minutes　in　pipeclaying　his　shoes；　we　had　not　seen　him　since　…　

George　and