THE AMERICAN TROUT. 29 
and coarse tackle, never takes the largest lisli nor the 
greatest in quantity. Were it otherwise, sportsmen had 
better turn louts, and tackle makers take to cutting 
straight saplings in the woods. My companion, never- 
theless, was not a little surprised at the vigorous rushes 
the trout made to escape, but his line being strong and 
rod stiff, he steadily reeled him in. Great was the 
excitement ; his whole mind was devoted to shortening 
the line, regardless of what was to be done next. We 
had a darkey named Joe with us to row the boat and 
land the hsh, and our luck having been bad during 
the morning, he was delighted at this turn of affairs, and 
ready, net in hand, to do his duty. The fish was being 
reeled up, till but a few feet of the line remained below 
the top, when, with a shout of "land, Joe, land him," 
my companion suddenly lifted up his rod, carrying the 
trout far above our heads. There it dangled, swaying 
to and fro, bouncing and jumping, while the agonized 
fisherman besought the darkey to land him, and the 
latter, reaching up as far as he could with the net, his 
eyes starting out of his head with wonder at this novel 
mode of proceeding, came far short of his object. ISTever 
was seen such a sight ; the hopeless despair of my friend, 
the eagerness of the darkey, who fairly strove to climb 
the rod as the fish danced about far out of reach. What 
was to done ? The line would not render, the rod was 
so long w^e could not reach the tip in the boat ; and the 
only horrible alternative appeared to be my friend's 
losing his first fish. The latter, however, by this remark- 
able course of treatment, had grown peaceable, and 
when he was dropped back into the water, made but 
