300 BLUE-FISHING. 



to see if even this story would stagger him, but 

 there was not a trace of disbelief on his frank and 

 striking face. I may say that I have myself shot in 

 the creek to which he had reference, and that I have 

 never killed half that number, but then I may not 

 be able to shoot either with the gun or the bow as 

 well as the skilful Commissioner. 



The Superintendent caught the first fish; it was 

 a handsome fellow of a good five pounds weight. 

 He was evidently proud of his success, and felt that 

 it was his turn to dilate and instruct. 



" There is always some time in the day when fish 

 will bite," he said ; "it may be early or it may be 

 late, and here perhaps your tides have something to 

 do with it, but there is always an hour at which 

 they feed. I remember going to Keuka Lake once, 

 because I received a letter complaining that the 

 people who were staying there could not catch any 

 trout. The first day I got my bait, the next I was 

 out by daylight. Just as I expected, the trout were 

 feeding early. I caught ten before nine o'clock in 

 the morning and only four afterwards throughout 

 the whole day. I stayed there two weeks ; during 

 the first I took pretty much all as I say about 

 sunrise. The second week they bit later, between 

 eight and eleven, and when I was coming away they 

 were just beginning to feed in the afternoon." 



At this moment the Commissioner landed a mate 

 to that of the Superintendent's, and then came 

 along stragglers to one or another of the party, but 

 there were no large schools of them, for the gulls 



