A GAME FISH 29 



languidly about ; J brought her near the side 



of the boat, but several times did she again plunge 

 into the depths below, making great swirls with her 

 tail; 



' Illam ter fluctus ibidem 

 Torquet agens circum, et rapidus vorat aequore vortex.' 



" Still the difficulty remained how to get the fish 

 into the boat. Piscator was ready for the emer- 

 gency. Slipping the gaff gently into the water, 

 with a swift jerk he chucked the fish under her 

 chin, and having felt the hold was firm, he dropped 

 his rod, and put the finger and thumb of his other 

 hand into the pike's eyes. Another moment and 

 the pike was in the skiff. Then came the tug-of- 

 war between man and fish. The pike, feeling for 

 the first time herself out of water, begin to lash 



about most, furiously. J stopped this little game 



with a blow on her head, that had only a slight 

 effect in felling the fish, which was determined to 

 do as much mischief as she could. Lashing her 

 tail about like a crocodile, she first upset the large 

 bait-can containing the livebaits, so that there was 

 a merry morris-dance in the boat, the big fish 

 surrounded by the little ones. She then made a 



charge upon J 's commissariat ; smash went the 



bottle of sherry, then a tumbler, then the sandwiches 

 and a tobacco-box. 



"Affairs were becoming very serious, for the 

 pike had rolled herself up with the loose line and 

 some spinning-flights she had upset out of the 



tackle-case. J then tried to get her head into 



a sack. No sooner was her head in than it popped 

 out again, the fish seeming to be aware that if Mr. 

 J ' gave her the sack ' it was all up with her, 



