DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 89 



noisy protest against its boisterous use, and the battle 

 which ensued gave me hope that the doctor had a 

 fish on as big as any of those he has imagined when 

 telling me his fairy tales. 



'Don't hold on him too hard, sir. Don't risk any- 

 thing; plenty of time/ said the nervous keeper. 



'Are you sure your wire will hold, Geen?' 



'Hold? — yes. If the hooks but keep their hold 

 we shall soon see what's frightening the pair of you.' 



The jerking of the fisher's too stiff rod (I like a more 

 supple rod that clips and never jerks) was lessening 

 the fish's joumeyings, and now and then it broke the 

 water with a huge tail that made waves to right and 

 left of it that showed up boldly on the smooth water. 

 I had hoped to gaff it, but the keeper was holding the 

 gaff and looking \\ith firm set mouth to where the fish 

 was circling round making fruitless efforts to get a 

 downward plunge. 



The deed is done, and the sportsman is sitting with 

 his hands upon his knees saying something to himself 

 and gazing on the fish that can now only flop its tail 

 near its captor's feet. 



*A drop of whisky, old fellow, please,' were his 

 first audible v/ords, and they so startled me that I 

 stared at him until he smiled and winked ; then 

 I handed him a flask and watched him help himself 

 to such a liberal dose that I could not help saying : — 



'And you are the man that has caused me to say 

 "no" and "no" and "no" when a salmon has lain 

 upon the grass, by preaching to me that spirits were 

 poison, and deadly poison before lunch, and now you 

 call for it because you have caught a pike.' 



'You don't understand, Geen. I am not taking 

 this stuff because I have caught a fish but because 

 the catching of it has made me need it; unless I am 

 content to wait patiently while my nei"ves shake off 

 their shakiness I must take a little just to stifi'en 

 myself, but had I a heart like yours, that does not 



