242 FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS, 



regarded the river as having been protected, and the pools 

 rested long enough, and so mounted our toggery and ar- 

 ranged our flies for the fray. It was the doctor's turn for 

 the upper pool, at the foot of the falls ; the general's for the 

 bend to Rattling Run ; the banker's included all the opposite 

 of the river, while my sporting- water was Rattling Run, and 

 I had never fished it. My gaffer was wanted elsewhere, and 

 the doctor most generously consented to supply his place. 

 He led the way with gaif on shoulder, marching up to the 

 first pool with an elan and energy which meant that he was 

 determined to show me where salmon disported. After walk- 

 ing half a mile through the brush, we emerged opposite a sal- 

 mon-pool on Rattling Run. The run was about twenty rods 

 wide, with shallow water three quarters of the distance to 

 the opposite bank. The doctor pointed to the pool on the 

 opposite shore, and told me that a salmon made a feint at his 

 fly there two days previously. The water ran swift over a 

 pebbly bed, but it was not much above knee-deep on our side 

 of the pool. I waded to within casting distance of the head 

 of the pool, and commenced casting while moving slowly 

 down the stream, until, having made half a dozen casts, and 

 swept the surface with great care, I delivered my fly just 

 above a rock near the foot of the pool, where a salmon made 

 its appearance and rose to take the fly, but missed it. The 

 next cast delivered the fly beyond and below the rock, in the 

 white-water foam, when the salmon accepted the fly, and fast- 

 ened good and strong. Instead of turning to the falls just 

 below, he shot up to within a few paces of me. The doctor, 

 seeing his move, ran below the salmon to prevent it from 

 dashing down the chute. For a full half hour while the play 

 lasted, it was so amusing to see the doctor run and flourish 

 the gaff" in his endeavor to drive the salmon to the pool 

 above that I could hardly restrain my laughter enough to 

 .stand and steady the fish's head occasionally against the cur- 

 rent. But the doctor finally conquered, and the fish became 

 so fatigued that the doctor took him out of the wet with his 



