148 A YEAB OF liberty; or, 



the surface, and lo I 'twas a huge eel, whicli I netted, and showed 

 some little common sense by cutting the gut before turning him 

 loose amongst the feet of the company. What a rookrawn he 

 produced racing hither and thither playing all manner of slippery 

 tricks, gliding between the legs of one, and through the hands of 

 another, gallantly refusing to yield, though surrounded by foes. 

 The crew were in despair. John crossed himself devoutly. A 

 certain little lady and the dear old commander, standing on a beam, 

 were nearly capsized in the confusion, which at length happily 

 terminated by one of the boatmen jamming the desperado against a 

 timber, and decapitating him. After this, grog was served out to 

 the entire ship's company, who again went to work with fresh 

 energy ; nor did they cease till the poor sun, sick of our world, 

 plunged desperately into the ocean. 



That night the well of the car was filled with the spoils, which 

 consisted of seven or eight pike, a stone or two of rough fish, and 

 over all laid out in state was the great eel, which must have been 

 very flavoury, if the taste bore any ratio to the smell. The day had 

 been delightful metaphorically and almost literally without a cloud, 

 and the Colonel warmly pressed us to join him in another expedition 

 to Lough Erne and also in one to Lough Melvin. But the rosy 

 month of June was fast passing away, and I, already due on the Moy, 

 was compelled to decline what it would have given me so much 

 pleasure to accept. 



During my too short sojourn of three weeks, the sport had been 

 excellent not so much, however, in point of numbers as with respect 

 to weight. True, we had worked hard, often making 



The night joint labourer with the day ; 



had our disappointments, blank days, and accidents ; but then we 

 had twenty-eight fish to show, amongst which were only two small 

 ones, of 61b. and 81b. respectively. In no other river in L'eland 

 could salmon so uniformly fine have been secured by the rod, 

 nor do I know any other station where so much could have been 

 done during so adverse a season. The great and comparatively 



