GLIMPSES OF CANADA, ETC. 245 



and we cooled down to sum up. Truth to tell, the 

 three of us had for the last five minutes been as excited 

 as schoolboys ; the odds had been so much against us 

 that the tussle was not what is termed a " gilt-edged 

 security " until the fish lay still in the bottom of the 

 canoe. He had been well hooked far down the throat 

 by one triangle ; the phantom with the other two came 

 out of its own accord at the application of the priest, 

 and the double gut of the triangle that remained inside 

 was cut through. 



Ben was profuse in his apologies for attempting to 

 interfere and for making light of my rod and line, and 

 frankly explained that he had never seen the like before 

 in 'lunge fishing. The absent triangle lost me two fish 

 in succession, and we went ashore to repair the damages 

 and to weigh the fish. It was absolutely empty, was 

 4 ft. long, yet it only weighed 24^ Ib. For the length 

 it was the narrowest fish I had ever seen. The head 

 was i if in. long from outer edge of gill cover to tip 

 of lower snout. Ben showed it in triumph as we walked 

 in procession from the landing-stage to the hotel, and 

 when it became known that it had been caught on a 

 small rod and trout line there was a popular sensation 

 in the nice little town of Port Perry. 



Men left their horses and buggies, workpeople threw 

 down their tools and hurried to the scene, mothers 

 caught their children in their arms and held them up 

 to see. Later in the afternoon I killed another 'lunge 

 of about 6 Ib., and that too had an empty stomach. 

 A party of American visitors returned at night with four 

 or five of similar size, and every fish presented the 

 same emaciated appearance. There was not a vestige 

 of food in their stomachs. Had my good one been 

 feeding well for a few days previously he would have 

 been many pounds heavier. As it was, I ought to have 



