100 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



with his hands upon his knees saying something to 

 himself and gazing on the fish that can now only 

 flop its tail near its captor's feet. 



"A drop of whisky, old fellow, please," were his 

 first audible words, and they so startled me that 

 I stared at him until he smiled and winked ; then 

 I handed him a flask and watched him help himself 

 to such a liberal dose that I could not help saying: 



4 'And you are the man that has caused me to 

 say ' no ' and ' no ' and ' no ' when a salmon has 

 lain upon the grass, by preaching to me that spirits 

 were poison, and deadly poison before lunch, and 

 now you call for it because you have caught a pike." 



" You don't understand, Geen. I am not taking 

 this stuff because I have caught a fish but because 

 the catching of it has made me need it ; unless 

 I am content to wait patiently while my nerves 

 shake off their shakiness I must take a little just 

 to stiffen myself, but had I a heart like yours, that 

 does not know what fluttering means, I should not 

 do so. A tablespoonful more, please, Geen, if you 

 have not put the flask away. I may not catch 

 a fish like that again. 



" Excuse me ; if I understand your logic, it's not 

 because you may not catch another fish like this 

 that you wish for another dose but because you 

 wish to try for it as quickly as you can." 



" Put to, Geen, and we'll start fair. It's a grand 

 fish. You think it's twenty three or four pounds, 

 don't you, keeper ? " 



" He's quite that, sir, but there are some a- wait- 

 ing that's twice his weight. I wouldn't waste time, 

 sir ; you'll be able to look at it again when you get 

 it home." 



