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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 176 —<br />

No; your accomplished angler would scorn to tell a lie, that<br />

way. His method is a study <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> itself.<br />

He comes <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> quietly with his hat <strong>on</strong>, appropriates <strong>the</strong> most<br />

comfortable chair, lights his pipe, and commences to puff <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

silence. He lets <strong>the</strong> youngsters brag away for a while, and <strong>the</strong>n,<br />

dur<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a momentary lull, he removes <strong>the</strong> pipe from his mouth,<br />

and remarks, as he knocks <strong>the</strong> ashes out aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st <strong>the</strong> bars:<br />

“Well, I had a haul <strong>on</strong> Tuesday even<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g that it’s not much<br />

good my tell<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g anybody about.”<br />

“Oh! why’s that?” <strong>the</strong>y ask.<br />

“Because I d<strong>on</strong>’t expect anybody would believe me if I did,”<br />

replies <strong>the</strong> old fellow calmly, and without even a t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ge of bitterness<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> his t<strong>on</strong>e, as he refills his pipe, and requests <strong>the</strong> landlord<br />

to br<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g him three of Scotch, cold.<br />

There is a pause after this, nobody feel<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g sufficiently sure<br />

of himself to c<strong>on</strong>tradict <strong>the</strong> old gentleman. So he has to go <strong>on</strong><br />

by himself without any encouragement.<br />

“No,” he c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ues thoughtfully; “I shouldn’t believe it myself<br />

if anybody told it to me, but it’s a fact, for all that. I had<br />

been sitt<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong>re all <strong>the</strong> afterno<strong>on</strong> and had caught literally<br />

noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g — except a few dozen dace and a score of jack; and I<br />

was just about giv<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g it up as a bad job when I suddenly felt a<br />

ra<strong>the</strong>r smart pull at <strong>the</strong> l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e. I thought it was ano<strong>the</strong>r little <strong>on</strong>e,<br />

and I went to jerk it up. Hang me, if I could move <strong>the</strong> rod! It<br />

took me half-an-hour — half-an-hour, sir! — to land that fish;<br />

and every moment I thought <strong>the</strong> l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e was go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to snap! I<br />

reached him at last, and what do you th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k it was? A sturge<strong>on</strong>!<br />

a forty pound sturge<strong>on</strong>! taken <strong>on</strong> a l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e, sir! Yes, you may well<br />

look surprised — I’ll have ano<strong>the</strong>r three of Scotch, landlord,<br />

please.”<br />

And <strong>the</strong>n he goes <strong>on</strong> to tell of <strong>the</strong> ast<strong>on</strong>ishment of everybody<br />

who saw it; and what his wife said, when he got home,<br />

and of what Joe Buggles thought about it.<br />

I asked <strong>the</strong> landlord of an <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>n up <strong>the</strong> river <strong>on</strong>ce, if it did not<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>jure him, sometimes, listen<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <strong>the</strong> tales that <strong>the</strong> fishermen<br />

about <strong>the</strong>re told him; and he said:

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