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liim than it would on a log of timber. Our friend came up 

 from the middle lake to see the fight, and for stubborn, 

 sulky resistance, it was the best that I have ever known a 

 pike to make. The fish was evidently a good one, its policy 

 was one of masterly inactivity — beyond moving now and 

 then a few yards to the right or left, budge he would not. 

 With a steady strain on him — all that the little rod would 

 bear — the " man at the wheel " waited patiently, sending 

 telephonic messages occasionally by tapping the butt. At 

 these signals Mr. P. " jiggered " viciously, but the spinning 

 flight was mounted on eight inches of silver gimp, and 

 unless the big bait had been pouched, the odds were all in 

 favour of the rod. Presently came a fierce rush in the direc- 

 tion of a shallow weed-bed ; the line cut the surface of the 

 water in a half-circle, and the cruel salmon winch wound 

 in every inch that could be gained, the rod meanwhile bent 

 double. But the haven of rest is not gained, and the fish 

 comes at express speed to a pent-stock within a few yards of 

 the bank on which we are standing. Whether or not his 

 intention was to come out on the bank and assume the 

 aggressive instead of the defensive is open to doubt ; but 

 he never got round that pen-stock. On the contrary, the 

 slack line was pulled in by long sweeping drags and laid 

 coiled upon the bank, and the exhausted fish was gasping 

 on the surface of the water under the point of the rod. It 

 was all over, for a pike, when he " gives you best," caves in 

 ignominiously and unconditionallj^, and does not " pla^y' 

 'possum " like salmon to get his second breath and com- 

 mence the fight again. The gaff did its work, the toe of 

 " Garge's " hob-nailed boots did the rest, and then the 

 spring balance recorded 161b. 4oz. as the weight of the 

 victim — a female fish, heavy in roe. Yes, I know that in 

 the foregoing description of the fight the sex of the fish has 

 been spoken of in the masculine gender, but how was I to 

 know that it was a lady that I had thus been treating so 

 cruelly, until the end came, and we stood face to face ? 

 Even now I should not have undeceived j'ou as to the sex 

 of that pike but for the fact that thereby hangs a tale. The 

 roe of that pike weighed Iflb., and fifty-six of the eggs 



