292 Rod and Tackle. CHAP. xx. 



probably insure your being broken at the first blow, the critical instant 

 when you want your pliable rod and your easily running winch to help 

 you till the pace slackens, and till you dare to apply thoroughly 

 controllable pressure. 



If I thought of my brake sixteen years ago and thoroughly tested it 

 on Mahseer, why, you will ask me, why didn't I tell brother fishermen 

 of it through the medium of sporting papers. Why, because there was 

 one thing wanting. 



And I had no manufacturer in India competent to perfect my winch, 

 and when I came to England I forgot all about it till I was asked to 

 revise this book. 



I may mention here that my manufacturer thought to improve on 

 my pattern by fixing the brake to the side of the reel, and keeping it 

 free by a spiral spring, but it was a dead failure, just so much force 

 being needed to overcome the spiral spring that you could not tell how 

 much you were using against that, and how much against the fish, and 

 it consequently spoilt the nicety of regulation of pressure on the fish. 

 He thought my exposed spring likely to be injured, but when in use on 

 the rod it is in a very well protected position. 



If you use a brake .and bring to bear on the fish more pressure 

 than you dare ask of your rod by raising the point, it follows that 

 you must lower the point of your rod more and more in exact pro- 

 portion as you increase the pressure beyond what the rod could 

 bear if not lowered, and so you may go on lowering your point and 

 increasing your brake pressure, without any danger to the rod, till you 

 get rod and line both in one and the same straight line from your hand 

 to the fish. Then you are playing the fish by hand. This is a most 

 extreme position, but on one occasion I was compelled to adopt it and 

 only killed my fish by being able to adopt it. I will venture to quote 

 briefly from a description of my own written by request to the Asian in 

 January, 1882, immediately after the incident, which will be better than 

 calling on memory. " More obstacles surmounted and at length R. was 

 in the same pool as his fish. At this moment up rushed H. with a 

 cheery * Well done, he's your own.' But though the scale was turning 

 the fight was not yet won. R. got out of the boat on to a tempting 

 little bit of sand. This meant shelving, and the fish, not liking the 

 idea, again made down stream. This would not do at any price, for 

 further down the stream there was a succession of rapid falls, say a 



