76 SPORT. 



with him, that the forty-three pounder of this morning 

 was *' Hke a small piece of this one " — the largest 

 salmon he had ever seen in his fifty years' experience ; 

 and to my horror I see him, after utterly neglecting 

 one or two splendid chances, making hurried and 

 feeble pokes at him with the gaff — with the only 

 effect of frightening him by splashing the water 

 about his nose. In a fever of agony I bring him 

 once again within easy reach of the gaff, and regard 

 him as my own. He is mine now ! he must be ! 

 " Now's your time, Ole — can't miss him ! — now — 

 now ! " He does though ! and in one instant a 

 deadly sickness comes over me as the rod springs 

 straight again, and the fly dangles useless in the 

 air. The hold has broken ! Still the fish is so 

 beat that he lies there yet on his side. He knows 

 not he is free ! " Quick, gaff" him as he lies. Quick ! 

 do you hear ? You can have him still ! " Oh, for 

 a Scotch gillie ! Alas for the Norwegian immovable 

 nature ! Ole looks up at me with lack-lustre eyes 

 turns an enormous quid in his cheek, and does 



