My Two Days Salmon Fishing. o5 



urchin, said, '^ Go at oust, Larry, to Phil Morris, and bid 

 him come quick with his rod, and hook a sahnon for an 

 Enghsh gintleman ; and when you are back, and say he is 

 coming, I will give you a penny." 



Pending the messenger's return, I was pondering in my 

 o'svn mind whether it was consistent with my dignity to 

 have a salmon hooked for me, but on second thoughts I 

 felt confident that I never could manage it myself, before a 

 crowd of strangers, with a large two-handed rod and heavy 

 tackle which was quite new to me. Before I was out of 

 my reverie the boy returned, followed shortly after by Phil 

 Morris, a well-known professional fisherman ; and his rod 

 and tackle somewhat astonished me. The rod, a weather- 

 beaten, rough-looking afiair, consisted of two pieces only, 

 utterly innocent of paint or varnish, about 17 feet in length 

 when spliced together with string. At the end of the butt 

 two holes were drilled, through which a rough winch was 

 bolted, and there were a few rings for the line to run 

 through. 



"Do you think you will get a salmon to-night ? " I asked. 



" Get a salmon, yer honour ? Why, there are as many 

 salmons in them pools as there are rogues at the Curragh 

 on a race day, and I wish the master and his good lady here 

 and all of us were as shure of going to glory and no questions 

 asked, as I am to stick a salmon now." And going to a 

 little distance, where there was plenty of elbow room, he let 

 out what seemed to me a very long line, and made a cast or 

 two, the heavy two-handed rod looking like a feather in his 

 hand, and the long heavy line paying out like a slippery 

 snake uncoiling itself, and the flies falling on the water like 

 gossamer. I could have watched the man for lioui-s, for he 

 was a thorough master of his art ; and whilst I watched I 

 heard a shout ; " I've got one, sir, look out," and a sheet of 

 silver shot up in the air and carqe down with a splash, and 

 D-_2 



