/4 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



Aut he took no notice for at least a minute, and by 

 that time I had my loose line in; then he showed he 

 felt my pulling, and went down again, and my anxiety 

 for m}^ line recommenced; and I should have lost it 

 all had not the rowers pulled their utmost in the 

 direction the line was going out. Again the beast 

 showed himself, with my prize still in his mouth, but 

 as we neared him he was down and off again to almost 

 clear my reel once more. Hope came to me as I wound 

 in with my utmost speed, thinking the seal was coming 

 our way, but my winding only brought the sinker, 

 the trace and rubber worm were gone. No doubt 

 the sudden stoppage of his last pull was owing to the 

 lead catching between stones or rocks, thus causing 

 a break that I could not feel, as the jerk would be on 

 the trace beyond the lead. Of course I was pleased 

 with the issue, as I know that when the hne is all 

 dra\vn out by a salmon which you cannot follow, 

 the break that comes is at the knot that fastens the 

 line to the winch. The boatmen seemed reUeved, but 

 I fancy it was not so much by the saving of the Une 

 as at the severance of all connection with the beast 

 they had talked in Irish at from between set teeth. 



Time slips by unheeded when we are employed, 

 be it at sport or work : so busy had we been kept 

 by fortune good and bad that Harry's watch quite 

 startled us, and we had to turn for home before the 

 afternoon seemed half-way through. Pat was waiting 

 our return, and helped to place the fish upon the rocks, 

 and when he saw them all laid out, he said, 'It's Mr 

 Sheridan himself and the gintlemen who would be 

 coming fishing in the same boat that should be seeing 

 them.' Brian hearing this looked to Lavelle, who 

 nodded back, and then he said, 'Will yer honours take 

 them?' 'Thank you both, no I' I answered. 'We 

 shall have a picture of them to remind us of the sport 

 you have given us.' 



