124 THE PIKE 



But it was all in order ; the gallant lunge was simply 

 tearing in towards us, and the angler was, as well 

 as he could, with aching shoulders and cramped legs, 

 reeling up to meet the tactics of the game. 



Not a little worried by the shouted and quaintly 

 blasphemous directions of the boatman, I fear I had 

 to speak to him with vehemence, and being vigorously 

 bullied he lapsed into sullen silence. It was something 

 gained that he obeyed instead of giving orders. It 

 was something, too, for him to continue rowing ; 

 the wind was behind him, the weight of the fish, which 

 was obviously considerable, was very dead against 

 him, and, in addition, there was the weight of the 

 boat to aid the enemy. I may be forgiven, therefore, 

 for opening my mouth and speaking with my tongue 

 in the manner that I did. In a word, the boatman 

 eventually comprehended my plan of campaign, 

 realising, moreover, that here was a fish to humour to 

 the top of its bent. He intelligently backed water 

 and manoeuvred the canoe during the quarter of an 

 hour or so of glorious battle that remained. We 

 estimated the fish, from its appearance while flashing 

 its golden aerial somersaults, at not less than 15 Ib. 



It was a good fight, though it would have been 

 much shorter could I have stood up fair and square 

 even kneeling would have been a modest sort of com 



