156 FISHING WITH SINGLE GUT. 



us, he was off again in double-quick time, and we had only 

 to follow in his wake as before. At last, however, he was 

 all but beaten; but just as we were thinking of securing 

 the prize, the hook lost its hold, and to our greater chagrin 

 he sailed away uninjured ! 



But although the large trout, unless hooked foul, were 

 commonly killed pretty readily, they occasionally gave us 

 much occupation before we could call them our own ; and 

 this more especially early in the autumn, when the fish were 

 in the highest possible condition. 



One fine evening in the middle of September, for instance, 

 just as the sun was sinking below the horizon, and the clock 

 in Wenersborg striking seven, I hooked from the boat a huge 

 trout. I was fishing with single gut, my usual practice 

 when the water was clear. With such fine tackle I could not, 

 therefore, pull quite so hard at the fish as I otherwise should 

 have done. Nevertheless, as night was fast approaching, I gave 

 butt, as fishermen say, even to the endangering of my line. 

 All would not do, however ; for although he allowed himself 

 to be led from islet to islet, and from one landing-place to 

 another, I could never get him sufficiently near for the gaff to 

 be used effectively. At length it became quite dark, and my 

 people thinking the case desperate, advised breaking the line, 

 and letting him off ; but being resolved to see the affair out, 

 even if obliged to remain on the river the whole night, 1 

 sent for a lantern, which enabled us in some degree to 

 discern what we were doing. The fish, however, still stuck 

 to the bottom of the stream, which thereabouts was very 

 deep, and twice he got foul amongst the weeds; but by 

 rowing round him, we were in both instances fortunate 

 enough to extricate the line; and at length, after he had 



