11 



down under its friendly shelter. Eventually an angler on 

 that side good-naturedly came u]), and beating- the water 

 with Ills net, drove the fish out into niid-streani. By this 

 time I had given, up all attempts to play the fish from the 

 winch, and coiled the line at my feet as I got it in — to the 

 great horror of the spectators. " Stand hack and give me 

 room," was my only rejoinder to their expostulations, and 

 presently I got my fish well in hand, giving him all the 

 "butt" that the rod was capable of. The salmon was now 

 close to the surface, and occasionally broke the water 

 savageh' with his tail, showing that he was nearly done, and 

 presently he rolled over, showing us, for the first time, what 

 a handsome fish he was. Barring accidents, his capture now 

 was only a question of time ; but how to get him out was the 

 problem, for the coil of line made it quite impossible to take 

 him down to the low bank a hundred yards below. We 

 fought it out where I hooked him, and a man lying down, 

 ■with two others holding his legs, gaffed the fish, and he was 

 quickly on the grass — a handsome salmon weighing 22^1b. 

 Thus ended my first and last experiences of fishing in the 

 Trent. 



