Snap: A legend of the Lone MountainPhillipps-Wolley, Clive
General
Snap: A legend of the Lone Mountain
Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) -- Fiction; English fiction -- 19th century; Mountaineering -- Fiction
At Glowsbury, the county town for Fairbury, Admiral Chris left the
boys, hurrying away with an old crony of his, who, in spite of nods
and winks, would blurt out, 'I'm so sorry, Winthrop.' But the
Admiral let him get no further. 'Good-bye, lads,' he sang out, and
then away he trotted, holding on to his astonished friend, whom he
rapidly hustled out of earshot, so that the boys never knew the cause
of that old gentleman's sorrow.
It didn't trouble them much either, for, once in Wales, the weather
grew fine again--provokingly fine, the boys thought. If ever you go
to dear little Wales, O Transatlantic cousin, to see the view, you
may bet your bottom dollar that you won't see it. You will be like
that other tourist who 'viewed the mist, but missed the view.' If,
however, you can jockey the Welsh climate into a belief that you are
going there solely for fishing, you may rely on such weather as the
Winthrops got, that is to say, clear skies, broiling suns, and tiny
silver streams calling out for rain-storms to swell their diminished
waters, and crying out in vain. The waters will be clearer than
crystal, the fish more shy than a boy of fourteen amongst ladies, and
the views perfect. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to
jockey anything Welsh: Wales is very unbelieving, and especially does
it disbelieve anglers.
The boys opened their campaign on the Welsh borders, fished
successfully for samlets--bright, silvery little fellows, which had
to be put back--and with a miserable want of success for the brown
trout, which they were allowed to keep if they could catch them.
Sometimes they walked from point to point, but then they found that
their expenses in gingerbeer were almost as great as if they had
spent the money in a third-class ticket; once they tried a long run
by rail on the--well, I dare not tell you its real name--so I'll say
the Grand Old Dawdler's line. They bought third-class tickets, but
travelled first, because the line had only three coaches in at that
time, and they were all first. Two rustics travelled with them; it
was rather a busy day with the Grand Old Dawdler's line. The
station-master at the starting-point, who sold them their tickets,
went with them as engine-driver and guard, and at each of the little
stations which they passed he acted as station-master. This system
of centralising all the service in one person had its advantages:
there is only one person to tip, and if he is sober the travelling,
if slow (say seven miles an hour), is very fairly safe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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