134 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS. 



bearing stoutly on him, tasking the rod to the last 

 ounce of resistance, I slowly swayed him about 

 and recovered a little slack. After a few short 

 sweeps he doubled on the line and shot straight 

 for the boat as an arrow from a bow. 



" Double, and be hanged to you ! " shouted John, 

 as he shied the light shell to one side and swung it 

 round so as to keep me facing the fish. " If you 

 get under this boat it will be because this paddle 

 breaks." 



Failing in his attempt to run under us, he dove 

 to the bottom. " Let him rest a moment," said 

 Jolm ; " recover your line ; you 11 need it all wdien 

 he rises. He 's big and ugly, and his next rush 

 will be like lightning." 



After I had stowed aw^ay some forty yards of 

 line upon the reel, winding it on hard and evenly, 

 so that it would render well, I began to feel of the 

 fish. The first pressure elicited only a shake. At 

 the next he described a circle, still keeping to 

 the bottom, then came again to a stand-still. He 

 acted ugly. I felt that, when the rush came, it 

 would try nerve and tackle alike. Enjoining John 

 to watch the fish and favor me all he could, and 

 by no means to let him pass under the boat, I 

 gave a quick, sharp jerk. My arm was still in 

 the air and the rod unstraightened, when I caught 

 a gleam far down below me, and before I had time 

 to wink the huge fellow parted the water almost 



