ON A BUCKINGHAMSHIRE LAKE. 107 



Its force was something tremendous, and the 

 navigation of the punt to the spot was a 

 matter of no little difficulty. Truly, it was a 

 case of fishing in troubled waters, but banks 

 of rushes on either hand, extending well into 

 the water, warranted the hope that a good 

 fish or two might be lurking in their midst. 



My companion had not long to wait for 

 his chance. As his dace worked the outskirts 

 of these rushes, the float went down suddenly, 

 and the rod was nearly dragged from his 

 hand, warning him that he was about to do 

 battle with a pike far exceeding in size any 

 that we had yet taken. So violent was the 

 resistance following the strike, that an attempt 

 at holding the fish would have spelt instant 

 disaster. The one thing possible, was to 

 supplement the check on the reel by careful 

 rim pressure. All at once the line ceased 

 to pay out and there came a pause in 

 the proceedings. The moments went by, 

 and, no further movement being made by 

 the fish, my friend, with extreme caution, 



