12 £¥ SOOK AND BY CROOK. 



out with head and tail on the rough waves, making us 

 tremble for the fate of our single gut. 



He next came slowly back, enabling us to reel up, 

 but was no sooner at a handy distance than he made a 

 grand rush straight across the river, only halting withiu 

 a yard or so of the opposite bank, a distance of 70 to 

 80 yards. He then jumped clean out of the water, and 

 as soon as he fell in, without the slightest warning, 

 rushed straight back to our feet. It was simply im- 

 possible to reel up so as to take in the slack line ; and 

 consequently we did not for some time know if he were 

 still on. However, when we did reel up, rather to our 

 surprise he was still on. 



He then gave us a bit of a rest, remaining stationary 

 at a depth of 15 feet of water for a quarter of an hour, 

 until, getting tired of his inactivity, we took a long, 

 steady haul at him, which had effect, as he replied with 

 a grand run down stream at such a pace that our reel 

 (a 5^-inch, with strong check) overran itself, coiling a 

 lot of line loosely the wrong way. 



Thinking that first of all we had better put this right, 

 we waded a few yards back, paying out the line until 

 all was clear, and had scarcely reeled up five yards while 

 dropping down to the fish, when off he went again, 

 taking with him 30 or 40 yards of line, which caused 

 us to congratulate ourselves upon having taken an early 

 opportunity of getting it clear on the reel, or we should 

 certainly have parted with something. The fish then 

 came slowly up until opposite to us, and continued to 



