MINNOW TROLLING. 95 



latter part of the day I came to a part of the stream where the 

 waters running with great force through a very straitened channel, 

 emptied themselves into a large and deep pool. The summit of the 

 bank on the side I was, was about four or five feet above the water's 

 edge, perfectly steep though completely overhung with brambles. 

 On the opposite side the bank was nearly on a level with the wa- 

 ter, sloping gradually upwards towards the meadow, and having a 

 complete fence of alder bushes, except just at the elbow where the 

 waters discharged themselves into the pool where there was a stunted 

 willow bush, which though not forming any thing like so impen- 

 etrable* a fence as the alder bushes, yet gave me no small trouble as 

 the sequel will show. The current running swiftly through the 

 whole length of the pool on the side I was, I spun my bait in the 

 eddy on the opposite one, and succeeded in hooking a trout almost 

 the moment I cast in. The trout the instant he felt the hook, made 

 a quick lush down the stream, yet without making any very tear- 

 ing struggle swam rapidly about the pool, making the line chatter 

 again as he turned quickly round, and attempted to make off in 

 an opposite direction, which at first induced me to suppose I had 

 gotten hold of a pike, of which there were some in the stream, (not 

 having caught so many large trout and pike then as have since fall- 

 en to my lot,) and as the fish I had hooked persisted in keeping 

 near the bottom of the water which was far from clear, and I being 

 fearful of exerting any strong efforts to bring him to the surface, 

 some time expired before I was undeceived, ,till at length I 

 brought him to the top of the water, and to my no small satisfac- 

 tion discovered what manner of fish he was ; being in fact a splen- 

 did trout, and apparently in high condition, though not so weighty 

 a fish as that I had before taken. How to secure this gallant fish 

 was now the question, my comrade who had charge of the landing 

 net was far beyond call, whilst to attempt to lift the fish up over the 

 steep bank overhung with brambles was evidently inpracticable. 

 At last I resolved to try and find a landing place on the other side' 

 of the stream, so lowering myself down the bank, and scrambling 

 in the way I was able through brambles, thistles, and stingnettles, 

 which, as I had to manage my rod and keep the fish in play all 

 the time I found no easy task, I at length succeeded in obtain- 

 ing a firm footing somewhat above my knees in the narrow chan- 

 nel at the entrance of the pool, the confined waters of which 

 nearly carried me off my legs as I waded across to the other side, 



