24:8 FISHING IN AMERICAN WATERS. 



ing how beautiful ! There is nothing more beautiful than a 

 fresh-run salmon when first taken, neither is there any pen- 

 cil capable of creating its apparent counterpart. To feel a 

 salmon fast to your fly and see its leap is alone worth a voy- 

 age to Canada to experience. 



Again I swept the pool with care and got a rise. As I 

 could not allure the beauty to a second attempt, I concluded 

 to rest the pool and go to the foot of the plain water, where 

 I saw the salmon disporting like dolphins just above the 

 rapid. The bed of the river was about a quarter of a mile 

 wide, and shallow on my side. I therefore waded out, and 

 after a few casts hooked a large, vigorous salmon. After a 

 high leap it struck out to the middle of the river. Then it 

 made numerous rushes and leaps, with turns and sweeps, un- 

 til finally the hook sprang back to me, and let the twenty- 

 pounder go on its way rejoicing. Very soon I hooked an- 

 other, and it attempted to run the rapid ; but I checked it a 

 quarter of a mile below, where it stopped to sulk behind a 

 rock, and before it formed another plan, my man Duncan 

 watched his chance and gaffed it. ' 



Again, after half an hour's playing, I succeeded in losing a 

 very large fresh-run salmon. I felt mortified, and so con- 

 cluded on returning to the head of the stretch to learn the 

 intentions of the large fish which had offered before I left, 

 and for which I rested the pooL I went to the head of the 

 pool and swept it along down until I came to where I got the 

 rise before I left ; but it had either leaped the chute or gone 

 from home, and after a few rises but no strikes, I returned to 

 dinner. " Moving large fish, however, is held by every true 

 angler only second to hooking them ; but many persons are 

 apt to despise the most skillful and patient efforts unless 

 crowned with immediate success." This is the experience 

 of John Colquhoun and every true angler. 



Next morning, by dint of perseverance and continued ef- 

 fort, I finally hooked a salmon at the foot of the pool, and just 

 at that moment a loud crackling was heard in the thick un- 



