1 80 Salmon Fishing. 



thought) to behold the monster, that had not 

 only deprived my friend of his dinner, but well- 

 nigh of all the strength and vitality he had left 

 in his body. Several spectators _were now 

 gathered round him, not to see the giant-fish 

 stretched on dry land, but, to my extreme 

 astonishment, to look on, as I had previously, at 

 the up and down movement of the same fish in 

 his own element. 



Such a trial of patience, temper, and physical 

 endurance, few of the fishing fraternity, I imagine 

 have ever sustained, and most careful was I not 

 to breathe a syllable in my friend's ear, save of 

 hope and encouragement. I kept the whole 

 time a very vigilant look-out ; when all at once 

 I caught a faint glimpse of the salmon, though 

 quite sufficient to satisfy me, he was by no 

 means a large fish after all. So convinced, 

 however, was the excited angler to the con- 

 trary, that a mere hint of my suspicion only 

 called forth one of his "wideawake" looks 

 which clearly indicated the familiar question 



