222 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



Apparently pleased with this reply he answered : 

 " Then it's meself and Pat that will take you where 

 the big ones are and should it happen they're 

 shlaping we'll wake thim for ye when the toide 

 is turning." 



To start at twelve and then to be told that the 

 quarry may be asleep would make most of us 

 anxious to know the time when the awakening 

 might be expected, but I did not ask as a violent 

 tug came which caught the angler napping, and 

 Harry almost lost his rod. That it was a heavy 

 fish was soon apparent, so, to avoid the chance of 

 its getting round my line, I commenced to wind in, 

 but before I had turned the handle twice, I had 

 to loosen my hold of it and give way to a rush that 

 spun it out again in such merry fashion that the 

 fish was a long way back and down before I could 

 stay its progress, and I was quite relieved, when 

 I was able to wind on him, to find that as yet he 

 had not got amongst the weeds. Harry by this 

 time had his fish well in hand and the rushes it 

 made were growing shorter, but that he was master- 

 ing a heavier one than mine I had no doubt, so I 

 told him to give me the chance of bringing mine to 

 Brian's gaff to clear the road of danger before he 

 attempted his. Both fish fought bravely for a 

 lengthened time, possibly somewhat prolonged by 

 our anxiety to show the doubting Brian that our 

 lines could hold them when a rod is used that 

 will give and take and is used with care. It might 

 be also that our wish to show some fish at the hotel 

 on our return eased our hands a bit. 



My fish was not of such a size as to make a fuss 

 about nine pounds, we guessed ; but after it was 



