With a Tenderfoot 



171 



three-pound pike. The Hne was handed to 

 Tenderfoot, with instructions, if he caught 

 anything, to be sure to hold on hke grim 

 death, especially to the canoe, otherwise he 

 might be drawn into the lake. Tenderfoot 

 promised, and we proceeded steadily, the In- 

 dians paddling almost mechanically. All at 

 once Tenderfoot yelled, " I 've got him, a 

 fifty-pounder; blazes!" and in an instant he 

 was hanging to his line, himself hanging al- 

 most half-way out of the canoe. A few inches 

 more and he must have gone overboard. Then 

 unfortunately the troll, which was caught on 

 a boulder at the bottom weighing about a ton, 

 broke close to the swivel, and so we lost our 

 only troll in the turbulent and boisterous cur- 

 rent. It was no use admonishing Tender- 

 foot for holding on without paying out slack; 

 he had satisfied instructions in his own mind, 

 and all he said was, " Well, was n't I told to 

 hold on like grim death, and did n't I, and 

 nearly went overboard?" 



When we left the boat at the edge of the 

 swamps, to go on foot to look at the traps, it 

 was amusing to see Tenderfoot bringing up 



