64 A DAY AT LOUGH MELVIN. 



the salmon gave two or three startled springs, 

 almost within reach of its paddles, and then, 

 as they invariably do, headed sharp hack 

 upon his own course. The Scholar, excited, 

 and unaccustomed to this style of fishing, 

 had omitted to reel up the slack of his line 

 as the fish headed towards him ; and when 

 he shot back so suddenly, everything came 

 slack. The Squire had no longer any power 

 over it, and the fish, restrained by neither 

 line, returned through the whole labyrinth 

 of flies that had been following him, rolling 

 them up into an inextricable harl, and thus 

 plunged into the midst of a mass of weeds, 

 followed involuntarily by the unfortunate 

 gillaroo. 



" Ah, blessed saints ! he's gone !" 

 " Ah, holy Virgin! see to that now!" 

 " Well, never did I see such a tailoring 

 trick since I was a fisherman ! Confound your 

 stupidity ! this comes of fishing with a tinker, 

 who does not know the butt from the point." 

 " How on earth could I help it, I should 

 like to know ? " 



"Why, what the devil made you leave 

 your line slack ?" 



"It is all your fault!" screamed the 



