78 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



wonderful things we had done on our way down, of 

 the fights with the great stubborn trout of immense 

 size and unparalleled ferocity, and of the magic bait 

 that came from England that no fish could resist 

 seizing. But whether it was that I felt shy at being 

 watched by so many eager eyes, or that the fish 

 became aware of the concourse of people bent on 

 their destruction, and so sent their most valiant 

 champions to do battle with the stranger, or what- 

 ever the cause was, the end was a miserable failure. 



To my intense mortification I first lost a heavy 

 gimp flight to which I had attached as bait a small 

 grayling, then a spoon bait followed it, and, lastly, 

 another large spinning flight of hooks fastened with 

 gut instead of gimp. These must have been carried 

 away by very large trout indeed judging by the 

 strength they exhibited during the few moments 

 the 'attachment' lasted, I estimated them to be from 

 fifteen pounds to twenty pounds in weight. 



After this I had two more "runs ; " on each occa- 

 sion the fish escaped, breaking the gimp, and carrying 

 with him as a souvenir a triangle of hooks. After 

 this I could get never a touch, and soon gave up. 

 This was certainly very disappointing, but there was 

 some consolation, that though some one or other of 

 the settlers was constantly fishing while I was there, 

 day and night, for the nights were still nearly as 

 luminous as the days, not a single fish was got, or 

 was touched, except the fortunate five which I had 

 lost. 



