Consequently the Colonel’s announcement that in view of the armistice he intended to spend three days in fishing the waters of a friend’s estate was received by the Mess with lively satisfaction.  An overwhelming fish diet was deprecated, but it was generally held that the honour of the regiment was in some way involved, and the Major felt it his duty to escort his senior officer on an expedition of such gravity.

It transpired that the first day was unfortunate.  The Colonel was silently impolite throughout Mess and retired immediately afterwards.  The Major explained that the conditions had been adverse.  The punt leaked at the end depressed by the Colonel and the ground-bait had been left behind.  The wind was fierce and cutting, and the brandlings had been upset into the luncheon-basket.  In addition the Colonel’s reel had escaped into the river and had declined to give itself up until the whole length of line had been hauled in; and, in leaning over the side to reclaim it, his gold fountain-pen had vanished.  Five hooks had failed to return from the deep and two were left suspended from inaccessible branches; Also in the Major’s opinion there was not a single fish in the river.

By breakfast the Colonel had regained his spirits.  He commented on the lack of support given him by the Major, and in his place invited the Adjutant on the ground that he was probably less clumsy.  He remarked that the offensive had not yet opened and that the previous day had been mainly devoted to a thorough reconnaissance of the whole sector.  He had reason to believe that the enemy was present in considerable force.

The second day proved equally unfortunate.  The Colonel took his dinner in private, and the Mess orderly, who had dismally cut the two of clubs in the kitchen, returned from his ministrations a complete nervous wreck.  The Adjutant explained that misfortune had followed misfortune.  They had barely settled down midstream, and he was in the act of extracting a hook from the Colonel’s finger with his jack-knife, when the punt broke from its moorings and carried them half-a-mile downstream.  It was uncanny how the craft had contrived to navigate four bends without giving an opportunity of landing.  In the afternoon they had fished from the bank, and the Colonel had fallen asleep while the Adjutant mounted guard.  The Adjutant protested that it was not his fault that the float suddenly disappeared, or that the Colonel, on being vigorously awakened by him, struck so violently at what proved to be a dead branch that he lost his footing and tobogganned heavily into the river, and was compelled to waste three hours in the neighbouring hostelry taking precautions against a chill.