I am aware that the expense already incurred, and still being continued, in scouring the lakes, in restocking them, and generally in keeping them to the high mark of efficiency which the active secretary aims at, is very great.

Up yonder is Carisbrooke Castle, and there is the window from which the good but unhappy King Charles more than two hundred and fifty years ago must often have looked down upon the Lukely and probably on our Pond No. 1. Truly, the Lukely, like other brooks, may sing as we poor mortals cannot :

I.

Pond No. I is a very fine one, one-half of it surrounded by bushes and orchards, in the midst of which it is very difficult to cast, and here the trout were rising freely. It is full of big trout, and the day being very bright with only occasional breezes, and the water clear ascrystal, they could be seen sailing about in large numbers. It is needless to say the accomplished Major soon reached his limit of two

very pretty fish in about three hours on a hot, bright day. I think the "A. A.'s" praise of the water is quite justified.-R. B. M.

brace, beyond which it is competent, of course, to go on fishing; but there is no fun for either fisherman or fish to catch and be caught only to throw or be thrown back; it is tantalizing to the fisherman, and unnecessary torture to the fish. I hooked several, but unfortunately failed to land one in this pond; that was rather my misfortune than my fault.

It

The second pond adjoins a renowned old inn, "The Eight Bells," a famous resort for the island excursionists in four-horse coaches. is really a charming old place; at the back is a large bowling-green, which abuts on the lake, and al fresco luncheons are served under the trees for the excursionists. There is also an adjoining handsome dining-room, mainly reserved, as I was told, for anglers, and there we lunched. The weather was hot and sultry, so I lingered under the trees whilst the Major in a punt searched the lake from bottom to top without, as far as I could see, getting a single rise. One might have supposed that, like the usual crowd of visitors to the hotel, the fish had all gone off to the Review at Spithead. On such a day, but for the Review, I was told there would be eight or ten coach-loads of hungry

travellers. We had the place almost to ourselves.

Having settled Pond No. 2 we started off down the river for No. 3. There I got a brace of beautiful trout and lost a brace and a half. The Major, after catching a brace and putting them back regretfully, gave it up and looked on.

I began by saying that the secretary is a Waltonian. I now discovered that he combines in his own person the Waltonian qualifications and those of Gilbert White; he is a scientific naturalist, and when he invited us to tea at his pretty Waltondale, I found it to be a little museum of natural history. After the day's fatigue, Mrs. Wadham gave us a delightful tea down under the trees that overhang the Lukely. While this was going on the Major's nine-yearold boy Bob strolled a little way up the river, saw a rise, rushed back, seized his father's rod, made a beautiful cast over the trout, a big one too, hooked him, shouted for his father to bring the net, and there was a general skedaddle. Bob held on, got the fish up to the bank, and lost him. Never did I see the usually calm Major more excited or more disappointed. And so we passed a very pleasant day, and I will

only add about that Carisbrooke Fishing Club -I envy the members, and only wish I were one of them, which, alas, can never be, on account of distance, old age, and its attendant infirmities.

We reached Newport Station in time for the 7.45 train. The station was crammed with people returning from the Review and people going to see the Illumination of the Fleet. In three-quarters of an hour we got into our train and were off. "Heyho, grandpa!" says Master Bob, "did you see that flash of lightning?"

Thenceforward till we reached Sandown the whole island was now and then lighted up with sheet lightning. We congratulated ourselves that we were safe for Sandown, and in fact we reached our station all right. There we found another great crowd, and after that the deluge. There we were, within half a mile of home, unable to move out. It was as if a water spout had burst over that particular station; the rush of water off the roofs on to the rails was like the falls of Lodore or a small Niagara. The crowd was increased by the arrival of two more trains. "Just the weather for fishermen," we were told. 'This is just what I hope and trust his Majesty

"What

King Edward VII. will have," said one. d'ye mean by that?" cried several. "A long rain," said our humorist, and the rather doubtful joke was received with applause. After waiting there an hour and a half, and the rain steadily pouring and not intending to stop, we resolved, all unprepared as we were, to make a dash through it, and we reached our home like drowned fishermen at eleven o'clock.

While we were fishing our eldest boy, Ted, had biked over to Ryde to see the Review and then biked home again, a ride of about twenty miles. Not content with that he went off again at seven o'clock to see the Fleet illuminatedthe storm came on before the lighting up began. He started back at nine o'clock, and reached home-not to put too fine a point on it—rather The night was as dark as Erebus, and he came through all that downpour from which we had sheltered; he seemed to have enjoyed the trip, only the rain put his lamp out twice, and his chief fear was that a policeman might be calmly doing his duty in the deluge and be down upon him-a very likely contingency! It took three days to dry his clothes. Many scores of thousands who had gone out clad in

wet.

K