134 ADVENTUKES IN THE WILDERNESS. 



bearing stoutly on him, tasking the rod to the last 

 ounce of resistance, I slowly swayed him about 

 and recovered a little slack. After a few short 

 sweeps he doubled on the line and shot straight 

 for the boat as an arrow from a bow. 



" Double, and be hanged to you 1 " shouted John, 

 as he shied the light shell to one side and swung it 

 round so as to keep me facing the fish. " If you 

 get under this boat it will be because this paddle 

 breaks." 



Failing in liis attempt to run under us, he dove 

 to the bottom. " Let him rest a moment," said 

 John ; " recover your line ; you '11 need it all when 

 he rises. He 's big and ugly, and his next rush 

 will be like lightning." 



After I had stowed away some forty yards of 

 line upon the reel, winding it on hard and evenly, 

 so that it would render well, I began to feel of the 

 fish. The first pressure elicited only a shake. At 

 the next he described a circle, still keeping to 

 the bottom, then came again to a stand-still. He 

 acted ugly. I felt that, when the rush came, it 

 would try nerve and tackle alike. Enjoining John 

 to w^atch the fish and favor me all he could, and 

 by no means to let him pass under the boat, I 

 gave a quick, sharp jerk. My arm was still in 

 the air and the rod unstraightened, when I caught 

 a gleam far down below me, and before I had time 

 to wink the huge fellow parted the water almost 



