MISCELLANEOUS, 271 



" Mr. Powers has got a fish." 



" So have I," I said, for at that moment I felt a terrific 

 surge at my line, and as I commenced to reel in, my fish 

 started for the middle of the lake. I knew at once that I had 

 a very large fish, and I told John to throw the boat out away 

 from the shore, in order to keep him clear of snags. A few 

 strokes of the oars set us out of all danger, and then the fun 

 commenced. At first he fought deep. I kept a taut line on 

 him, and whenever he slackened on it, I reeled in. He would 

 come a few feet toward the boat, then turn, and with the 

 speed almost of lightning take out a hundred or two hundred 

 feet of line ; and though I kept the heavy drag on and 

 thumbed the reel besides, it seemed mere play for him to run 

 with it. Finally he made a partial break, showing only his 

 broad, forked tail. Mr. Powers asked me what I had. 



I told him I thought it was a bass, but if so it was a very 

 large one. Just then, the captive made a fearful lunge into 

 the air, clearing the water by fully four feet, and making a 

 desperate effort to shake the hook out of his mouth. He 

 showed his monster form to our eager eyes but a moment, and 

 then went down again. 



"Yes," said Powers, "You've got a bass, in your mind. 

 You've got a whale there, and you want to be very careful 

 that you don't lose him." 



All this time the great monster kept up the fight, -running, 

 leaping, diving straight down, down, down, until he would 

 take out sixty or seventy feet of line and perhaps lie 

 directly under the boat. Then he would start for the shore 

 again, as if bound to snag the line ; but the drag, my thumb, 

 and the butt of the rod, would make him break again and 

 change his course. 



Talk about gamy fish ! 



Why, reader, if you could imagine what it would be to 



