400 Fishing Localities. CHAP. xxvi. 



refreshed by my hasty repast, I devoted all my energies to my enemy with 

 redoubled ardour. After one or two runs, I fancied there appeared to be 

 something wrong with the reel, so, calling for a light, I examined it, and 

 found to my discomfort that the two screws which connect the reel with the 

 bar that was tied on to the rod were gone, and, of course, on the same side 

 as the handle ; the consequence was that the mere act of winding up caused 

 the reel to gape very considerably at this opening. I tried various methods 

 for remedying this mishap, such as getting my fisherman to hold it as 

 firmly as possible in his hands while I wound up line, etc. ; but I found 

 none of them so satisfactory as crossing my legs as I sat on the rock, and 

 pressing the reel against my left knee. This answered tolerably well, but it 

 was a somewhat awkward position to remain in for long. To make a long 

 story short, however, about 2 A.M. I prevailed on my fish to cross the bar 

 and have a swim in the deep, still pool. He gave two furious runs up and 

 down, I luckily just preventing him from returning to the stream, and then 

 I hauled him into a nice little shallow creek. The fisherman carefully 

 handled him, and he was secured. I made my man carry the captive some 

 yards from the water, and deposit him in a safe place, and then a most 

 pleasant sensation of triumph filled my heart, as by the light of the lantern 

 I gloated over the splendid fish which had fought so bravely and pluckily 

 for eight hours and a half. By this time it was 2.30 A.M., so my servants 

 shouldered the fish, pots and pans, and we started off home, floundering 

 about over the two miles and a half of boulders and shingle in pitch dark- 

 ness, as the lantern had burned out. On arrival I, of course, routed up A., 

 and we weighed the fish. He just turned the scale at 52 Ibs., and was 

 4 feet 5 (inches in length, which I must confess rather disappointed me, as I 

 had landed in the previous year one of 57 Ibs. that had not given anything 

 like the sport of this one. 



" A. had most patiently waited three hours for dinner, and then in despair 

 sat down to his solitary meal. My fisherman's appearance with my dinner 

 order was a great relief to his mind, as he was on the point of sending out 

 natives with lanterns to search the banks and pools of the river, fearing that 

 I had been carried down a rapid and stranded in some uncomfortable place, 

 even if nothing worse had occurred. 



" On the following day we did not start till twelve, and had very poor 

 sport, only catching one of 7 Ibs. each attributable, I think, to there having 

 been a thunderstorm in the hills during the night. We had serious thoughts 

 of moving our camp a few miles up the river. 



" Two friends arrived next morning in time for breakfast ; though we 

 had fished in the early morning, we had bagged nothing. In the afternoon 

 I went 3 miles up the river, and caught three in a beautiful rocky stream, 

 losing a phantom ; then, finding that a small boat we had ordered from 

 higher up the river had arrived, I tried a deep narrow pool from it. I soon 

 hooked a fine fellow, certainly over 14 Ibs., played him for nearly an hour, 

 when he sulked ; and, as no amount of stone throwing or pulling would 



