Salmon Fishing. 89 



make him) meant mischief. I certainly did 

 hook, and have hold of him, but where, or in 

 what way, I could not for the life of me imagine. 

 He appeared to me to be the "coolest fish," I 

 had ever met with, never once putting himself 

 the least out of his way, so far as exertion went. 

 When I found what a sluggard I had to deal 

 with, I began putting on the strain (to use 

 my old friend's graphic phraseology). As well 

 pull at a house ! Not the smallest impression 

 did it make upon him. He had quietly betaken 

 himself to the centre of the stream, perhaps 

 about fifty yards, and not more than a few feet 

 would he turn one way or the other. I was too 

 great a novice then to know anything about 

 stoning him ; being as nervous as possible rot to 

 lose what I concluded must be a monster of a 

 salmon. While this little game was being 

 played, I heard a voice from the other side 

 almost yelling at me to do this and that, and 

 saw a man throwing about his arms in a most 

 excited manner. I could not quite distinguish 

 G 



