144 THE SALMON 



1 Time passes away as we drift slowly up the 

 river towards Elcho. Ten o'clock strikes, and we 

 determine to wait till dawn, and then land and try 

 conclusions with the monster that has had us fast for 

 ten hours. The tide begins to turn, and Jimmy 

 utters gloomy forebodings of our voyage down to the 

 sea in the dark. The fi^h feels the change of tide, 

 and becomes more demoniacal than ever. For half 

 an hour he is in one incessant fury, and at last, for the 

 first time, except the single occasion when he jumped 

 and showed himself, he rises to the surface, and 

 through the dark night we can hear and see the huge 

 splashes he makes as he rolls and beats the water. 

 He must be near done, Jimmy thinks. As he is 

 speaking the line comes slack. He's bolting towards 

 the boat, and we reel up with the utmost rapidity. 

 We reel on ; but no sign of resistance. Up comes 

 the minnow minus the hooks ! Jimmy rows home 

 without a word ; and neither he nor the fisherman 

 will ever get over it.' 



A large fish was taken in the nets at Newburgh 

 the next year, which Dr. Browne identified as the 

 same, by a mark where he had seen the tail hook 

 of the minnow when the fish showed itself, and a 

 peculiarity of the form of the shoulder. It was the 

 largest salmon ever known to be taken, 'weighing 



