322 THE RIVER. 



"So I should if we had not taken the 

 water after it. See how wet I am. The 

 fish rushed down stream, like a dog with a 

 kettle at its tail, without stop or turn ; and 

 there were we, sometimes in the water, and 

 sometimes on shore, after it as hard as we 

 could go. I thought it would have taken 

 down Fox's Rapid, and that my line must 

 have gone among the broken rocks there ; 

 but just before we got to the Sally Bush it 

 turned slowly over, and by the time I 

 had reeled up to it it was as dead as it 

 is now." 



" Yes," said the Parson, " that is always 

 the way with them. Generally speaking, a 

 fish running down stream, and becoming 

 exhausted, will turn to breathe, and then 

 run on merrily again, and, perhaps, break 

 vou after all ; but if he be hooked foul he 

 cannot turn, because the pull is from his 

 tail ; and the moment he opens his gills the 

 water takes them in reverse and chokes him. 

 That very thing has happened to me more 

 than once, when the fish striking the fly 

 with his tail, which shy salmon often do, 

 has contrived to hook himself. In that case 

 there is always a short but furious struggle ; 



