A Defense of Fishermen 



instant thus actually and effectively 

 contributing to an escape which could 

 not and would not have occurred ex- 

 cept in favor of a large fish. 



Beyond these presumptions we have 

 the deliberate and simple story of the 

 fisherman himself, giving with the ut- 

 most sincerity all the details of his 

 misfortune, and indicating the length 

 of the fish he has lost, or giving in 

 pounds his exact weight. Now, why 

 should this statement be discredited? 

 It is made by one who struggled with 

 the escaped fish. Perhaps he saw it. 

 This, however, is not important, for 

 he certainly felt it on his rod, and he 

 knows precisely how his rod behaves 

 in the emergency of every conceivable 

 strain. 



35 



