CHAP, xviii. The Bamln. 247 



at him and soon hooked him. He went down stream, and after ten 

 minutes I began edging off the bridge to get to the bank when he suddenly 

 came charging at me to get under the bridge. His power was enormous ; 

 and, in spite of stones and a long bamboo with leaves tied on the end, 

 he came under and actually got a few yards above the bridge, I being in 

 an upside down position, and holding him very tight. At last he made 

 for the piles and broke me. This was the biggest fish 1 have hooked, and 

 I think he must have been from 15 to 20 Ibs. 



"Had I then had what I have now, a wooden ladder fixed into the 

 centre piles, and a boat moored with men ready, I could easily have 

 killed him by following him on his first rush, and getting below him if he 

 tried to make up for the bridge. Next day I went out. I had hardly 

 begun when a brute came and took me and instantly went round a pile 

 and broke me. This made seven consecutive fish that had broken me here. 

 I then hooked and landed a 6-pounder, using the ladder and boat. I 

 have lost three fish round piles after they have run away fairly down 

 stream, and this, of course, is avoidable ; but if they go at the pier at 

 once there is no remedy. It seems to depend on where one's bait is. 

 The fish naturally pulls against you ; and if your bait has been swept 8 or 

 10 feet down stream he runs down ; but if he takes almost under the arch 

 he runs in. 



" In one case I purposely gave a fish line instead of breaking to see 

 what he would do, and this was the result." 



Here was a sketch of a labyrinth of piles with which, dear reader, 

 you must kindly dispense. 



" I unravelled the maze, and finally, after going from pier to pier in a 

 boat, caught sight of my friend at the eighth pier. The run I must tell 

 you was all done in a few seconds. It took ten minutes or a quarter of 

 an hour to work it out, and I could at one moment have checked the fish 

 had I been ready. Seeing me close to him he took three turns round the 

 pile and broke. The last few days I have been out fish have not been 

 feeding. I have a theory that every fish left there has got a phantom in 

 his gills. 



" I think you will admit that they treated me badly that morning. 

 They seemed to have determined to show me what they could do. They 

 straightened one treble, broke another, a large strong one, filed the casting 

 line, pulled off one phantom's head, demoralized a reel (one of Bowness' 

 best Mahseer reels) by sheer hard running, and, finally, the big chap tried 

 all he could to break the rod and has given it a permanent bend." 



In the Pamban channel, just opposite the Superintendent's house, 

 there are, or at least there used to be some thirty-five years ago, a 

 number of splendid runs. It is to be hoped the Government has not 



