SALMO HUCHO. 269 



nither ! you have pulled with too much vio- 

 lence, and broken your tackle. Alas ! alas ! 

 the fish you hooked was the consort of mine : 

 he will not take again. 



Orn. — The gut was bad, for I do not 

 think I struck too violently. What a loss ! 

 How hard, to let the first fish of the kind I 

 ever angled for escape me ! 



Hal. — There are probably more : try 

 again. 



Orn. — Behold ! the loss was more owing 

 to the imperfection of the tackle than to my 

 ardour ; for the two end hooks only are gone, 

 and you may see the gut worn. 



Hal. — The thing is done, and not worth 

 comment. If you can, let the next fish that 

 rises hook himself. When we are ardent, we 

 are bad judges of the effort we make ; and an 

 angler, who could be cool with a new species 

 of salmo, I should not envy. Now all is 

 right again : try that pool. There is a fish 

 — ay! and another, that runs at your bait; 

 but they are small ones, not much more than 

 twice as large as the bleak; yet they show 

 their spirit, and though they cannot swallow 



