130 VANISHING OF A LINE. 



judged it advisable to let the fish have his own way ; 

 the result of which was, that he ran out an exorbitant 

 length of line, and was going to a sort of whirlpool 

 amongst the rocks. 



" Hold him in, hold him in ; if he gets to that eddy, 

 you are done." 



" Fine fish, sir, fine fish ; fast hooked, sir. Do you 

 see any thing green in my eyes ? I have an opinion 

 of my own, sir." 



" So has the fish. And now it is all over with you ; 

 for if you had nothing but a dried herring at the end of 

 your line, you would never get it out of that mess. I 

 hope you have another casting line, because you will 

 never see that again." 



" Fine fish, sir ; fine rod, sir ; fine line, sir ; fast 

 hooked, sir, — fast hooked. Do you see any thing 

 green " 



He was stopped short in the sentence by an alarming 

 rush of the salmon, who shot forward up the stream, 

 and took out the whole of the line of the consenting 

 party to the tune of 120 yards. Now it is a wholesome 

 rule to make fast the end of the line, by running it 

 through a hole in the cylinder of the reels, and tying 

 some knots at the extremity to secure it ; and as this 

 rule is wholesome, so it has been practised time imme- 

 morial by all sagacious persons, and even by some who 

 are not very sagacious. But there are exceptions to all 

 rules, and our man had neglected this caution ; con- 

 sequently, the line, being all run out, vanished at once 

 through the rings of the rod, and streamed fair and 

 ample below the surface of the water. The mermaid 

 may, but that line shall no terrestrial ever see again. 



