236 AMERICAN GAME FISHES, 



escaped the judge. He rolled his eyes upward, and roared 

 as if stricken with pain: "Great Scott! he s lost him!" 



But the fish was not lost. The angler recovered his advan- 

 tage, and fought the fight to the end, skillfuMy and coolly. 



The fish was deftly gaffed by one of the Indians, and 

 quickly lay on the bottom of the canoe. The Indians seized 

 their paddles, and the light craft glanced toward the western 

 bank, the man unjointing his rod as the boat shot along, and 

 in a moment they came panting up the embankment with 

 a huge hamper in their hands, in which, amid flowers and 

 grasses, lay six other Trout, nearly as large as the one we had 

 seen captured. 



Seldom is such a reception granted to a mortal as was 

 given to the man in the velveteen jacket. The engineer 

 cheered and swung his hat; the fireman, sooted and begrimed, 

 capered and danced on the coal-box like an electrified imp; 

 the passengers yelled; the ladies fluttered their handkerchiefs; 

 while we anglers of the party fairly took him in our arms and 

 lifted him onto the platform, where the judge enfolded him 

 in an embrace which the stranger will never forget a hug 

 such as an old angler gives a younger one to whom he is in- 

 debted for an exhibition of skill which has brought back to 

 his memory all his own former victories, alid proved to his 

 anxious soul that the gentle art is not being neglected. 



Never fear, never fear, dear old judge, that the art of all 

 arts will be lost, or the skill of trained finger and eye be for- 

 gotten. We shall pass; but still the streams will flow on, the 

 pools will go round, and the Trout love the coolness of 

 springs and the rush of swift waters. The boys will grow up 

 like their sires, loving water and sun, loving forest and rap- 

 ids. With brown faces and hands, and with eyes keen as 

 ours, they will stand where we stood, they will boat where 

 we boated, they will camp where we camped, and the 

 dead ashes of fires that we kindled they will kindle to 

 new life again. The gentle art will live on, while nature is 

 nature and mankind is man. 



