Трое в лодке не считая собаки

           Theysaidthatasapoet,orashillingshocker,orareporter,oranythingofthatkind,Imightbesatisfactory,butthat,togainanypositionasaThamesangler,wouldrequiremoreplayoffancy,morepowerofinventionthanIappearedtopossess. 

           Somepeopleareundertheimpressionthatallthatisrequiredtomakeagoodfishermanistheabilitytotelllieseasilyandwithoutblushing;butthisisamistake. Merebaldfabricationisuseless;theveriesttyrocanmanagethat. Itisinthecircumstantialdetail,theembellishingtouchesofprobability,thegeneralairofscrupulous—almostofpedantic—veracity,thattheexperiencedanglerisseen. 

           Anybodycancomeinandsay, "Oh,Icaughtfifteendozenperchyesterdayevening;"or"LastMondayIlandedagudgeon,weighingeighteenpounds,andmeasuringthreefeetfromthetiptothetail." 

           Thereisnoart,noskill,requiredforthatsortofthing. Itshowspluck,butthatisall. 

           No;youraccomplishedanglerwouldscorntotellalie,thatway. Hismethodisastudyinitself. 

           Hecomesinquietlywithhishaton,appropriatesthemostcomfortablechair,lightshispipe,andcommencestopuffinsilence. Heletstheyoungstersbragawayforawhile,andthen,duringamomentarylull,heremovesthepipefromhismouth,andremarks,asheknockstheashesoutagainstthebars: 

           "Well,IhadahaulonTuesdayeveningthatit’snotmuchgoodmytellinganybodyabout." 

           "Oh!why’sthat?"theyask.