GET FAIRLY VANQUISHED. 235 



ty rods above, but I turned him, when he went down stream 

 much faster than it was convenient for me to follow ; but he 

 stopped to rest where I hooked him, and glad enough was I, 

 for the morning was oppressively warm, and my rest had not 

 been of the most refreshing kind during the previous night. 

 Here I began to call loudly for a gaffer, and presently I saw 

 the doctor's demijohn form approaching with a gaff, and 

 closely following was the general. By the time they arrived 

 my friend had concluded to return to sea, and started ; but 

 he soon found a resting-place, and, while playing him here, 

 the general insisted so strongly against playing him too gen- 

 tly that I put a little more stress on the line. The fish rol- 

 licked around the pool, and showed his whole size and beau- 

 ty, when my friends judged that he would weigh over thirty 

 pounds. I thought so too, and played with great care. But 

 the salmon became impatient of restraint, and started. He 

 had not darted more than a hundred feet before the hook 

 sprang back to me, and he went on his way rejoicing, while 

 my friends returned to the tents. 



I felt as if I needed a strong glass of lemonade with a stick 

 in it to sustain me ; but, being strictly temperate that morn- 

 ing I sauntered back to the point above the eddy where I 

 had* hooked my recently-departed friend. There I examined 

 the fly and hook with care, and found it secundum artern. 

 After becoming sufficiently rested, I made a cast, and at once 

 hooked another salmon about the same size as the one which 

 had just unhooked. On realizing that my fish was on, with 

 a slight jerk I fastened the hook, in order to play him ginger- 

 ly if he wanted to " gallivant and cavort" some. Two or three 

 times he revealed his enormous size and great symmetry, so 

 that I felt quite sure I had hooked the mate of the first one. 

 This also remained half an hour trying small tricks about the 

 pool, when all at once he dashed away across the current, 

 and, on rising to the surface, I distinctly saw the line wound 

 three times round him. After this he plunged and leaped 

 up, down, and across the river, until he liberated himself, and 



