124 RUNNING IT RATHER CLOSE. [PART I. 



her, she being a heavy square-sterned coble, the 

 fish had run out the whole of my line, nearly a 

 hundred yards, with the exception of one turn 

 and a half round the reel. I had been giving it 

 to him more and more reluctantly for some time, 

 though, knowing the state of my gut, I did not 

 dare to put any strain upon it, and was all ready, 

 if he persisted, to let him have rod and all, by 

 throwing it into the water, as soon as the line was 

 exhausted. However, at last, I ventured on just 

 as much gently persuasive force as I thought my 

 trace would bear, and the move fortunately suc- 

 ceeded. Back he turned, and away he came again, 

 straight for the boat, much faster than I could 

 wind up, though Cameron backed me by pulling 

 his best. Of course the line became perfectly 

 slack, and I had made up my mind he was off, 

 when a gradual tightening of it told me, to my 

 relief, that he was still all right, and in a few 

 seconds more I had him under command again. 

 This second pull he resented by another tremen- 

 dous rush in the direction he had at first taken, 

 and again he ran out almost the whole of my line. 

 As I had however by this time to some extent 

 " taken his measure," and he was not quite so 

 fresh as he was at first, I ventured to check him 



