AND OTHER HUNTING ADVENTURES. 265 



capricious currents that played there, for perhaps 

 five minutes. I was just in the act of reeling up 

 for another cast, when a gleam of silvery light 

 flashed upon my vision, flecked with settings of jet 

 and gold. There was a mighty commotion upon the 

 surface and a monster trout leaped full into the air 

 as he seized the feathered bait and then shot down, 

 down into the crystal fluid, leaving the water in the 

 vicinity of his exploit bubbling, effervescing, and 

 sparkling like the rarest old champagne. For the 

 nonce I was paralyzed with the suddenness and 

 viciousness of his coming and going, and my reel 

 was singing merrily when I awoke to a realization 

 of what it all meant. 



Then I thumbed the cylinder and checked him in 

 his wild flight, but he continued to fight his way 

 clear down to the lower end of the pool, a distance 

 of twenty yards. Then he turned and came toward 

 me with the speed of an arrow, but the automatic 

 reel took up the slack as rapidly as he gave it. 

 When within twenty feet of me he turned out into 

 the stream, and as I checked him he again vaulted 

 into the air and the sun-light glistened on his beauti- 

 fully-colored sides and fins as he struggled to free 

 himself. Finding this impossible he started for the 

 bank, where brush and roots projected into the 

 water; but by a vigorous and fortunate sweep of the 

 rod I was enabled to check him again. Again he 

 sounded and again rushed up, down, and out into the 

 river, but the steel was securely set, and he was 

 compelled at last to succumb. Gradually I reeled 

 him in, and as I brought him up to the bank he 

 turned on his side exhausted. He weighed two and 



