136 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDEBNESS. 



"Mr. Murray, that fish is ugly; if he should get 

 the line over his back, he 'd smash the rod like a 

 pipe-stem ! " 



"He wn't get it over his back," replied I 

 brtTh" ''"'' ^°^' ^"^'^^' ' ^' '' ^'*"°S *°° "'"'^'^ 



"But I say," said John, looking affectionately 

 at the rod as he took up the paddle ; " if I was in 

 your place, and he did get the line over his shoul- 

 der.J would part my tackle before I smashed that 



" I won't do either, John " ; and a. I answered I 

 gave a jerk, and the trout started again. But why 

 repeat? my teU of flights and rushes which 

 followed ? OVzce did he br^ak the surface a hun- 

 dred feet away, flinging himself out like a black 



WV T. T}^ P""^^""^ g^* '^'^ l^^der over his 

 back and dashed away like lightning; while John 

 anxious o save so true a rod from ruin, shouted 

 tome, "Part thegut." But who ever knew a 

 &hei^an, when his blood is up, refuse a risk to 

 save the game ? I screamed to John to shoot the 

 boat one side ; and when the last foot of silk was 



phant rod wei^ pitted one against the other, 

 tiie reel. The fish struggled and shook himself. 



