THE INCONNU WHAT IT IS NOT 



but he was clumsy himself, not used to fishing, and 

 so lost several fish which struck directly at the side 

 of the boat. The other fisherman was a trapper 

 who lived in that country. He caught six or eight 

 fine connies on a stout hand line and spoonhook, 

 simply by throwing the spoonhook out as far as he 

 could and pulling it in hand over hand. It was a 

 crude method, but it worked. 



A gill-net set across that stream at that time 

 would either have been torn to pieces or taken out 

 full of these great fish. My admiration for the 

 conny rose very distinctly, and it was then that 

 above all things I honed, sighed, and pined for any- 

 thing in the most remote manner resembling a fish- 

 ing rod and reel. Then and there I forgave the 

 conny for looking like a sucker, a whitefish, and 

 several other fishes which it is not. 



Many a man takes down a good salary by handing 

 out solemn stuff about vomers, and supramaxillaries, 

 and palatines, because he is pretty sure no one is 

 going to call him on his statements; but none of 

 these gentlemen in their recorded works, albeit ab- 

 breviated to meet the needs of the encyclopedias, 

 tells us about the personal habits of the inconnu or 

 attempts to explain the bar sinister that seems to 

 prevail in its family. 



Even in the North, where the entire population 

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