A JUMPER 39 



then drew it a yard or so very quickly, then 

 a little quite slowly, and again quickly, until 

 the line came near where I thought he was ; 

 then I drew quickly again, and paused, when 

 he made a furious rush for it, and was fast. 

 Well, reader, if you ever saw a horse running 

 away, this fellow started at once on an equally 

 fast pace down the river, my reel buzzing out 

 its swiftest. " Sol, for goodness' sake, get 

 up the killock, and get the pole at work ! " 

 was my salutation, for I saw the necessity of 

 speedy and immediate action. The boat was 

 soon following with all the speed Sol could 

 get on her, and that was not slow, yet the 

 fish was going directly from us, and had 

 two-thirds of the line out. "Hold on, good 

 fly ! Hold on, good cast ! " The scamp had 

 jumped four times the first a double, for as 

 soon as he touched the water he made a 

 second scoot and jumped. " Sol, he must be 

 hooked in the tongue or some equally tender 

 part to be so unusually wild," said I. " Well, 

 old man," he replied, "I never saw a wilder 

 fish. There is no let-up yet." Presently he 

 began to sail from one side of the river to the 

 other, as if looking for snags ; then he made 



