Colonel ZTfoomas ftbornton ^ 



a. yard and a half long, fastened only so slightly that 

 on the pike's striking, two or three yards more may 

 run off to enable him to gorge his bait. If more line 

 is used it will prevent the sport which attends his 

 diving, and carrying under water the hound ; which 

 being pursued in a boat down wind (which they always 

 take), affords excellent amusement ; and where pike, 

 or large perch, or even trout are in plenty, before the 

 hunters, if I may so term these fishers, have run down 

 the first pike, others are seen coming towards them 

 with a velocity proportionable to the fish that is at 

 them. 



In a fine summer's evening, with a pleasant party, 



have had excellent diversion, and it is, in fact, the 

 most adapted of any, for ladies, whose company gives 

 a gusto to all parties." 



Despite this explanation, there was a common belief 

 that Colonel Thornton claimed to have trained fox- 

 hounds to fish for pike ! And a reviewer in the Annals 

 of Sporting, commenting on the above passage, says : 

 " What sort of burst was to be found in a dog's diving 

 or being dragged along, remains an Euclidian problem." 

 Was ever critic gifted with greater density ! And yet 

 one of the chief grounds for the charge of unveracity 

 alleged against the Colonel was this alleged Munchausen 

 story of fishing with fox-hounds ! 



It was in Loch Lomond that the Colonel, however, 

 made his first sensational capture. The perch which 

 he landed there is historic, and here is his own account 

 of the taking of this monumental monster : 



" I felt a fish strike and ordered the boat to stop : I 



