82 



The Anicricaii Ano^lcr 



our spirits rose and we decided to try- 

 in June the waters of the Dashkill at 

 Smithtown. Mr. Smith was written to 

 and kindly consented to meet us at El- 

 lenville, on the Ontario and West- 

 em Railroad, and take us to the town 

 which was honored by his name. Events 

 changed our plans somewhat, for the 

 Dominie started ahead of his two fellow- 

 fishers and thus he had gained two days 

 of experience when we arrived on Sat- 

 urday at the farmhouse at Smithtown. 

 We had been met by young Smith, a lad 

 of thirteen years, at the railroad station, 

 and had enjoyed a pleasant and inter- 

 esting ride with the boy. This boy was 

 a delightful companion and had just 

 reached the most interesting period of 

 life. All was before him and nothing 

 to be regretted in the past. Life was to 

 be successful, joyous and brilliant. His 

 home was perfect, his mother the most 

 remarkable cook in the world, the 

 Shawangunk mountains around his 

 father's house were the highest in the 

 state and were filled with the most in- 

 teresting and rare animals and flowers. 

 We so thoroughly sympathized with this 

 yotmg enthusiast that at the end of the 

 eight-mile drive we were boys again, and 

 inclined to take a rather optimistic view 

 of the miserable little brook which 

 gurgled in front of the house. 



The Dominie was away filling his 

 basket, we thought, with trout fit to be 

 painted — with the creel — and we lost no 

 time in getting into fishing costume. 

 We tackled the stream below the house 

 and at once discovered that we had a 

 big contract on our hands. In places 

 we could not find the stream at all, for 

 it had cut out for itself little runways 

 through the rough underbrush in all 

 directions. When we did manage to 

 follow these little streamlets to the 

 deeper spots the results were entirely 

 unsatisfactory. For m\'self I can say 



that the afternoon of that day gave me 

 a new method of fishing. I had fished 

 for trout in various ways, but never be- 

 fore sought them in the branches of 

 small bushes. To add to the zest of this 

 sort of fishing, we were told this was 

 quite a region for rattlesnakes, and I 

 must say for a really snaky hollow this 

 one bore evidence so clearly that "one 

 who ran might read." We did manage 

 to catch a few miserable little trout and, 

 getting disgusted, returned to the house, 

 where we found the Dominie had re- 

 turned with our host and elder son. 



They had fished carefuU}^ all day and 

 had a considerable number of very small 

 trout with one good one of perhaps ten 

 inches to show for their efforts. The 

 large trout was caught by a method so 

 ingenious that it pains me to tell the 

 story, and yet I am compelled to do so, 

 as otherwise angling literature would 

 fail to be enriched by one more fish tale. 



It seems, to quote the good Dominie, 

 that this fish declined the most daintily 

 tied flies and the choicest worm bait 

 until Smith Junior had whetted his ap- 

 petite by throwing bits of worms to his 

 troutship, where he was lying in a per- 

 fectly open pool. After he had been 

 induced to partake of one particularly 

 dainty bit of worm flesh, the barbed bait 

 was gently dropped over him which 

 without the least delay he seized. This 

 story I i:nhesitatingly declare that I do 

 not believe, and I was then under the 

 impression, which thought and time 

 have strengthened, that this trout was 

 found napping in a bush and was clubbed 

 over the head. 



After hearing this tale and sizing up 

 things generally, I took the Dominie 

 out behind the house and, looking liim 

 carefully in the eye, gently pulled out 

 of him the pleasing information that he 

 himself had caught but three fish in two 

 days, and in regard to these lie was 



