88 DAYS IN THE OPEN 



unlucky to lose the first fish hooked, but all doubt 

 on that point has been put to flight. 



A day or two later five fine bass were caught one 

 afternoon and hung over the side of the boat on a 

 hastily improvised stringer. Rowing home the 

 stringer parted through chafing on the side of the 

 boat and the bass went their respective ways. Not 

 content with this unfriendly slap, Dame Fortune 

 or inexcusable carelessness permitted the string 

 of the minnow pail, also hanging over the side of 

 the boat, to break, involving the loss not only of 

 the pail but of some four dozen A-i minnows. 

 When the Junior had captured a three-pound bass 

 we concluded to tie him the bass up to a root 

 that reached out over the water and to keep him 

 until later. Just when he seemed to be thoroughly 

 halter-broken he succeeded in untying the knot and 

 we saw him no more. All this was bad enough, 

 but to make a complete job of our discomfiture 

 the minnow-trap which was supposed to be busily 

 at work luring bait for our use, suddenly and 

 unaccountably disappeared. Then the outer pail 

 of the new minnow-bucket was missing and the 

 sealer could not be found. It rained and then 

 rained some more. The bass absolutely refused 

 to strike at a spoon-hook or pork rind or the new 

 Dowagiac. Why did we ever leave our happy 

 home? 



It is always darkest just before dawn. The 

 outer pail of the new minnow-bucket had been 



