LAC EMMURAILLE 



speculation as to the size of the departed. 

 It were unkindly done (supposing the pos- 

 sibility) that one should snatch away a 

 measurable portion of bread and butter 

 from those poor fellows to whom every esti- 

 mate of a 'lost' fish is (professionally) an- 

 other instance of paranoic delusion or com- 

 mon honest lying; but a sober word, uttered 

 in this private way, should not hurt 

 their trade. The old hand is not apt to be 

 far astray in the opinion he forms from the 

 rise, the swirl, the behaviour and play, the 

 feel of his rod; and we had little doubt 

 that the lake held greater trout than any 

 we had killed. There was a case in which 

 fairly convincing proof was forthcoming. 

 A standard of comparison was fresh to 

 the eyes of both the witnesses, for a five- 

 pounder, perfect in shape and condition, 

 (length twenty-three inches, girth thirteen 

 and a quarter inches) had just been brought 

 in from another water. Both the actors 

 had long experience in the judging of trout 

 above that weight. In gale and rain a fish 

 was hooked of great vigour and of unusual 

 disposition. Taking line as he willed, at 

 the end of two mad runs he leaped high out 

 of the water — the second time more than his 

 own length straight into the air — shaking 

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