THE LAKE TROUT. 263 



their wages. I presume the same was done in the other 

 cases I have mentioned, thereby, I hope, removing these 

 particular instances from the charge of being either mercenary 

 or excessive. 



I have heard and read many "fish stories" — some of which 

 had "a very ancient and fish-Hke smell" — but the wildest of 

 them could hardly outdo the reality that confronted us at 

 this famous spot. 



My pleasant task is well-nigh ended, my reader, yet I fain 

 would add one parting word of most prosaic sort. The old 

 adage hath it that the hare must first be caught before he's 

 cooked. Our Trout are caught; how shall we serve them in 

 toothsome form to the friends who gather to hear the story 

 of their capture.^ The flesh of the Lake Trout is firm and 

 hard, and has more or less of that "dryness," like the Brook 

 Trout and the Salmon of the waters, and the quail on land, 

 that makes it pall soon upon the appetite. It tastes very 

 well at first — is rich and toothsome — but after a time even the 

 most ardent advocate of "brain food" v/ill admit that he 

 would relish a change. Hence the importance of variety in 

 the ways of serving this fish. Availing myself again of the 

 kind permission of Mr. Cheney, I quote him, premising it 

 by saying that, for myself, I never saw a fish spoiled by 

 being delicately and carefully broiled, and served with plenty 

 of sweet, butter-gravy. 



"There may be a better way to cook Lake Trout, but I do 

 not know it. A fish would have to be a leviathan that I 

 would boil or bake, and as for broiling, I leave that for salt 

 mackerel. 



"Of course, when fishing I select the smaller fish to cook, 

 as they are more easily and quickly cooked and the larger 

 ones are better to send to one's friends — the happy fate of 

 most of the Trout we take in Lake George. 



"Clean, and split your Trout open on the back; if then too 

 large for a frying-pan, divide again vertically; if still too large, 



