LARS 39 



story, and that the death of many salmon to 

 his rod since then has atoned for the loss of 

 the first he hooked. 



It is a dangerous matter to attempt to gaff 

 a fish for a friend. An unfortunate stroke may 

 make an enemy for life ; less has sometimes 

 originated a blood-feud. A well-known angler 

 once hooked a very big fish on the Conway, 

 when unaccompanied by an attendant. Seeing 

 a neighbour, with whom he was slightly ac- 

 quainted, leaning over a bridge and watching 

 the sport, he called out, " Come down, Major, 

 there's a good fellow, and gaff this fish for me ! " 

 "No," replied the Major deliberately. "No, 

 I won't ; I have a wife and family at home." 



To rustics unconnected with fishing, who in 

 any way obtruded their presence, Lars was 

 anything but polite. At the foot of the Fos, 

 on each side of the river, are saw-mills, and it 

 occasionally happens while one is fishing that 

 men row up boats with logs to be sawn. As a 

 rule they are considerate and keep close to the 

 shore, where they do little or no harm, but 

 Lars never missed an opportunity of letting fly 

 at them with a torrent of what I understood 

 to be forcible Norwegian language, and I never 



