156 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



looking quite likely for a second fish. I advised, with 

 shout and gesture, a slightly slower draw, allowing the 

 bait to sink a trifle deeper in the rushing waters of the 

 falls. This immediately took effect, and he was hard 

 into a fish. He handled it well, too, and kept it under 

 control until, unfortunately, it decided on a journey 

 down-stream. \\'hen once it had left the pool the 

 fisher's knowledge of its doings was only to be guessed 

 by him by the merry pace at which the line spun out, 

 for his view of the river was entirely cut off by the 

 impassable rock from the side of which he had made 

 the lucky cast. The line was rightly held to cause it 

 to run over the smoothest part of the jagged rock, but 

 unfortunately, this holding kept the trace along the 

 fish's back, thus urging it on. I have found it best 

 at the beginning of the rush by which the fish means 

 to leave a pool to keep the rod in such position as may 

 tend to bring his head and body sideways. Only a 

 ver}^ sHght angle is possible at times, but nearly always 

 the fisher can make it sufficient to alter the fish's 

 line of sight, and thereby curb his desire to prolong 

 the rush. It was too late now, had there been a chance, 

 and the salmon had his way, which was down past the 

 Long Ladder Pool, and he was fast approaching the 

 rapid, rocky shoal that must have made a loss inevit- 

 able. But by this time I had cast my minnow across 

 Phil's line, and was drawing it towards me, while 

 shouting to him, hidden as he was, to give slack. The 

 fish, wellnigh exhausted, was soon drawn in and 

 gaffed. 



Success such as tliis for each of his two first efforts 

 might make the oldest salmon fisher imagine he was 

 about to break all records, and the new-comer to our 

 ranks probably wondered whatever he would do with 

 all the saknon that would be his before he was through 

 his hoHda3\ 



Fishers of great experience have wondered and 

 questioned, * Why is it that while it frequently happens 



