Stories from the Major
November 18, 2011
Fishing on the Frome:
In that same season and on the same river I took part in an amusing scene. I happened to have a new chauffeur, who had never seen a fish gaffed, and took him out as a ghillie for the day. As luck would have it I hooked a large fish and played it in a very deep pool. Finally getting it beaten, I instructed the chauffeur how to use the gaff, and ended by saying:”Mind whatever you do if you get the gaff into the fish don’t let go of it , but pull the fish right out at once”. After making quite a good stroke with the gaff he attempted to pull the fish out but, losing his balance, he went head first into the river and disappeared under the water.
Holding my rod in one hand I stepped forward to the river’s edge. The first thing to appear was the chauffeur’s cap, which came up bobbing like a cork. I remember thinking if the man did not soon appear the prognosis was unfavourable for him. But a moment after his hat appeared, up came his head, and one arm clinging to the bank. Leaning over, I grasped his coat collar and fortunately, as I was in those days a champion weight-lifter, I was able to yank him clean out onto the bank. But imagine my surprise to see that he had carried out my instructions to the letter; as in his right hand he still held the gaff, and on it was a fish weighing 32lbs. So I made a good haul in that effort! But I shall never forget the comic sight of the chauffeur’s cap coming up from the deep with no sign of its owner.
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