160 DAYS IN THE OPEN 



with a pair of trout which weigh nine and a quarter 

 pounds. Then the Doctor sets the camp in tur- 

 moil by taking a five and a quarter pound fish. 

 The poor Preacher rejoices in the success of his 

 brethren, and tries hard to beat them; but four and 

 a quarter pounds is the best he can do. Large 

 numbers of trout are taken, ranging from two to 

 four pounds apiece, but it is the big trout we want. 

 How swiftly the days pass! A week has gone, 

 and if we are to go as far as Lake Nepigon, we 

 must push on. We break camp reluctantly, for 

 this place seems like home to us. We have become 

 familiar with every rock in the stream, with every 

 eddy, almost. We have watched the sun go down 

 in the woods which stretch unbroken for uncounted 

 miles to the west, and have seen the yellow moon 

 lift itself above the bold shoulder of the mountain 

 which borders the river on the east. 



But we have heard great stories of the fishing 

 higher up, and away we go. Camp Victoria! 

 Magic name with which to conjure scenes of the 

 rarest pleasure! Here, where the swift-rushing 

 river forms our front door-step, we make another 

 long halt. Here, about ten rods below our camp, 

 a gentleman from Woodstock, Ontario, took an 

 eight-pound trout only last week. Here the 

 Preacher caught three trout weighing five and a 

 quarter, five, and four and a half pounds, respec- 

 tively, and took two of them in two successive 

 casts. Here Aleck, the head guide, broke the game 



