SALMON ANGUNG IN IRELAND. 107 



and measures was very precise) call him ten pounds lucky. That's 

 something like a trout." Over and over again the same course was 

 tried, in the hope of meeting another of the same class, but in vain. 

 At length we resigned it reluctautly, and commenced a fresh drift 

 over the broadest part of the lake in a line with Church Island. 

 Half way down the shore of that low rocky reef a good fish rose 

 right ahead. Slowly the fly sailed straight towards him. "What's 

 that ? " My first thought was that Willie, who just before was 

 sitting on the gunwale, had tumbled head-over-heels into the water. 

 But no ; there he sat, composed as ever. " He's an awful monster, 

 master ; as big as a salmon." To jerk the line out, reel sharply up, 

 so as to ensure my companion fair play, was but the work of an 

 instant. Had it not been for that startling plunge he might have 

 been fast in a rock for anything I could see to the contrary. Fish 

 have temperaments various as their captors ; they are shy, bold, 

 cowardly, volatile, sulky, or determined, and the one now under 

 treatment combined the latter qualities in about equal proportions. 

 For a full houi' we saw nothing of him, and all this time had been 

 drifting deeper into the rocky and shallow bay beyond the island. 

 ' Pull, pull, I'm fast ! He's sat down. Oh dear, oh dear ! what 

 will I do ? Pull, puU for your lives ! " A few dashing strokes 

 brought the boat over the exhausted monster ; the line was free, 

 and the battle over. There he lay on the bottom, with his great 

 side leaning against the rock that refused him shelter. The water 

 was barely 5ft. deep ; off went the net, on went the gaff, and then 

 we found leisure to admire our prize. Perfect in make, exquisite 

 in harmony of colour, in weight 131b. truly he was a picture ; 

 glorious in life, beautiful in death, it may be long before his fellow 

 is hung with such a thread. As may be imagined, all that occurred 

 subsequently was tame. Two more, however, of 31b. and olb., 

 wound up the best day I ever saw with the blow line. 



We lived on the lake for the remainder of the week, meeting with 

 fair sport, and on Monday set out for Boyle, where, from intelligence 

 received that morning from Sergeant Nameless, of the Greens, great 

 things seemed to await us. 



