TUOUTING ON BASIN BROOK. 241 



eaten; and he admits, for the purposes, however, of this 

 statement only, that he has eaten an appalling number 

 during the course of his trout ing experience. 



Bright and early, we were all on the ri\er again. But these 

 wen; among the days when our friends at home were hope- 

 lessly hot and uncomfortable, and the thermometer reck- 

 lessly reveling among the nineties with aspirations, almost 

 reali/ed, for the tuneful ninety and nine. Kven we. iu the 

 woods, sull'ered much this day, and tied from the mid day 

 sun upon the water In MIC mossy river banks, and lunched 

 and slept and smoked and slept again, the faithful smudge 

 keeping guard, in the cool shade under the heavy crowned 

 trees. Our catch of tn.ut. therefore, while satisfactory was 

 much -mailer than on the day before. During the actual 

 time of fishing, on both days, probably not live minutes 

 elapsed without landing a trout of good size, and I, at least, 

 was s.-itisliril with mere numbers. Like Alexander of old, 

 however, 1 longed for ot her worlds to conquer, and hoped 

 before we should leave the woods to lake at least one " big. 



big trout." 



While we were fishing near the mouth of (lie brook, and 

 at the height of our sport, a solitary fisherman in butternut, 

 one of the hangers on at the Dam. paddled down the river. 

 " Our fun is up. .Mayor." remarked 1; " that, fellow iscom- 

 ing right in here. no; there he swings, out into the river, 

 jentlemaii. and no mistake!" And, sure enough, 

 lie quietly rowed around to a landing below us, came 

 ashore, and with his formidable tamarack pole and chalk- 

 line went several rods above us on the stream and began 



