THE ANCIENT ART OF TROLLING 107 



it would immediately dash, or glide slowly away to 

 its haunt, wherever that might be. Sometimes it 

 would be ten or twelve, sometimes twenty or thirty, 

 yards off ; but it was imperative that there should be 

 no check to this movement of the fish. 



Having executed its run, the fish would stop for 

 the natural process of pouching or gorging that is to 

 say, the pike would gradually twist round the bait until 

 its head was absorbed ; the body and tail followed, 

 and, when the appetite was good, the whole was pretty 

 rapidly taken down into the tight gullet. It will not 

 be forgotten that there were only two points of 

 hooks protruding, perhaps no more than inch on 

 either side of the gill covers of the bait, but the gullet 

 closes so tightly over the object that even these were 

 sufficient to hold the pike when in due time the barbs 

 were struck in. 



This, however, is to anticipate a little ; the time 

 for striking has not yet arrived. We have followed 

 the fish to its haunt or lair, and left it in the act of 

 pouching. This was one of the prime excitements 

 of the transaction. Sometimes a fish would gorge 

 in a very leisurely way, occupying perhaps five or 

 even ten minutes. Not infrequently in the case of a 

 big fellow in a sanguinary humour the bait would 

 be pouched at a gulp. But the angler would be 



