282 AMERICAN GAME FISHES. 



When the pair of racers reached the deep water, they were 

 nearly a hundred feet ahead of me, and I wished I could have 

 had a telegraph wire on them, instead of the little frail silken 

 line that was singing through the water and vibrating in the 

 air ahead of me. 



I held it taut, rushed down the river as rapidly as possi- 

 ble, taking up all the line I could get as I went. When I 

 reached the head of the pool and got a footing on a bed of 

 gravel at the water's edge, my hopes returned, but I was 

 still sorely harassed by fears, for my Trout were now cutting, 

 darting and leaping hither and thither at such a rate that it 

 seemed impossible that the delicate tackle could stand the 

 strain much longer. 



Presently the smaller of the two began to tire of the uneven 

 contest, and gradually yielded to being towed about by his 

 powerful companion — sometimes on his side and sometimes 

 on his back. 



I now took a firm control of the big one, and commenced to 

 haul in on him. He still resisted and fought obstinately, 

 but time and his heavy load at last began to tell on him too. 

 His rushes became less vigorous than at first, and he 

 yielded more and more to the strain of the rod. He had 

 now not more than twenty feet of line out, and occasionally 

 showed a disposition to stop and rest, but this I did not allow. 

 I stirred him up and kept him moving. Gradually he sub- 

 mitted to tension. I got the landing-net ready, and waded 

 out till the water came near the tops of my rubber boots. I 

 made one more recovery of line, passed the rod well back over 

 my shoulder with my right hand, and as the two racers came 

 floating helplessly toward me I slipped the net under them, 

 raised them partially out of the water, staggered to the shore, 

 and sank on the gravel almost exhausted, but as proud a 

 man as ever drew the breath of life. 



The parson, who had long since quit fishing, came down to 

 the pool and stood watching the fight; but I didn't know it 

 until he spoke. 



