A TROUTING TRIP TO ST. IGNACE ISLAND. 115 



only feel a slight tremor of the line as he settled his 

 supper satisfactorily in his maw. Again I coaxed him 

 slowly and cautiously towards the boat in which stood 

 "Bluffy" with poised rifle. This time I ventured to 

 make him show himself within twenty feet of the 

 muzzle of the gun, when " Bluffy" very neatly put a 

 bullet through his head, and he turned belly up and 

 was got on board. "Well done, 'Bluffy/" said 

 " Squills ; " " your practice could not have done greater 

 execution if you had been making out a bill of costs for 

 a client." " Well, no," says " Bluffy ; " " but I think 

 perhaps one of your curative pills would have killed the 

 fish more unutterably dead." "Peace, boys, peace," 

 said the " Governor " ; " this is a solemn occasion ; we 

 have used unlawful and unsportsmanlike means to take 

 a game fish ; but as it could not be helped we will con- 

 done the offence by giving the fish away to the first de- 

 serving object we meet." "And that will be ( Jim,' ' 

 quietly observed "Squills." 



But dear me ! what is the use of trying to tell all the 

 fun and glorious sport we had ? The pen of a " Frank 

 Forester " or a Hallock might do justice to the subject, 

 mine cannot. Suffice it to say that, as the days went 

 on, each one made me feel younger and younger, until 

 I found it hard to convince myself that I was over 

 twenty-five. As to my comrades, we had not been out 

 a week before they were boys of sixteen ! 



Last days will come, however, and all too quickly, let 

 us bear up never so bravely. The fifteenth morning 



