AMONG THE NORTHERN PINES 93 



Among the most untiring fishermen met this 

 summer were a father and son who chased the 

 great northern pike with a zeal worthy of such a 

 cause. One day the father informed me that they 

 had caught a pike weighing fifteen pounds the day 

 before. Soon after the son gave his version of the 

 capture and said the fish weighed eighteen pounds. 

 But why cavil? Are we to make no allowance 

 for youthful imagination? Is a little matter of 

 three pounds to be allowed to spoil a good fish 

 story ? 



The writer ventures to record these experiences 

 because they are not his own. Possibly he may be 

 allowed to set down one other incident, inasmuch 

 as it does not concern him personally: On the 

 shore of the lake the precise location was not 

 given^-once lived a farmer who owned a dog 

 famed for exceptional intelligence. It occurred to 

 the farmer that, as the dog loved the water and 

 seemed interested in the fishing excursions which 

 they took together, it might be possible to utilize 

 the canine ability to practical ends. Fastening a 

 trolling line to the dog's tail, he took him out upon 

 the lake, threw him overboard and rowed rapidly 

 to shore. Of course, the dog swam after the boat 

 and had not gone far before he hooked on to a 

 good-sized bass which he dragged after him to the 

 land. The owner praised the dog and continued 

 his training until the beast had become a proficient 

 troller, entering into the sport with eagerness and 



