53 



down stream, the little trout rod being perfectly powerless 

 to control the brute. For nearly half an hour this unequal 

 fight went on, the little ten foot of hickory being bent like 

 a hoop, for its owner is a very unskilful fisherman ; and 

 finall}' the rod smashed off short at the swell of the butt, and 

 the pike broke away ! Fortunately we had a spare rod with 

 ns. Going back to my old post, I put another minnow over 

 the same spot, and was taken immediately, but by striking 

 the moment the line checked, the fish was safely hooked this 

 time, and a pretty fight we had. 



As an illustration of what seven ounces of split cane will 

 do, if those who handle it keep cool, this struggle afforded 

 a very striking example. It was unfair, perhaps, to 

 put one's pet dry-fl}^ rod to such a task ; but we were in for 

 it now, and the suggestion of my friend, " Cut your line 

 and let the brute go," fell upon deaf ears. There was 

 plenty of water, and no weed-bed within fifty yards below 

 us, so that, barring accidents, I had no fear of the results. 

 The pike contented himself at first with moving around 

 his old quarters in a small circle, and treating the slight 

 resisting power of the rod with contempt ; but presently 

 he "-ot alarmed, resented the strain, and made two or three 

 ugly rushes, coming back each time to the same old spot, 

 about a dozen yards from the bank, in eight or nine feet 

 of water. By and bye he became very uneasy, shook his 

 head savagely, and the nervoiis tremor of his body came 

 up to the rod-butt like a telephonic message. Look out 

 for squalls — he was going to show fight ! The question of 

 what he would do did not long remain in doubt ; with a 

 wild rush he tore up stream into the shallows above, where, 

 leaving a wake behind him like a barge, he ploughed along 

 with his tail and back fin out of water. For fully a 

 hundred yards he went, and we both raced after him as 

 hard as we could go, but no haven of shelter or friendly 

 weed-bed could he find. Then he halted, and we got on 

 level terms with him once more ; but catching sight of us 

 on the bank, back he went like an express train to his old 

 quarters. Twice were these tactics repeated, and then, 

 pumped nut and exhausted, he rolled over close to the bank. 



