308 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



From the dark shadow cast by the beam a huge fish 

 shot out, showing a yard-long brown back, in striking 

 contrast to the clear green water in which he moved. 

 He seemed to hesitate a second, and then ran at the 

 dead trout and seized it, and retreated hastily to his 

 lurking-place. Clearly and indisputably this was the 

 time to follow the Admiral's advice, and yack it 

 into him, and G. struck at the liuclien as if he had 

 been a crocodile, and the tackle adapted for the cap- 

 ture of such an animal. Nothing gave. 



" By George ! " said G. to himself (it was no good 

 shouting his views across the stream to his friend), 

 " I believe I have you now." 



Directly the great huchen felt the unpleasant ac- 

 companiment carried by the trout, he gave up all 

 idea of going back to his own dwelling, and bolted 

 out with a fierce rush right into the middle of the 

 stream. He took out twenty yards of line, and then 

 it was the old, old story as old as love or anything 

 else, lie got away. It was a horrid exhibition of 

 brute force, quite calculated to make one sick. 

 There was no skill about it no science ; an arm- 

 chair or a hen-coop could have done what he did 

 just as well, if they had been lightly hooked. The 

 Admiral, on the other bank, had just got his gaff 

 ready he laid it aside and lit a cigar. It is 

 possible he said something, but if he did, the roar 

 of the stream prevented it being heard. G. cut off 

 his useless minnow and threw it away, putting on a 



