56 WHAT I HAVE SEEN WHILE FISHING 



and the warm splendour blazing in the east gave 

 the water a lovely glory of pink and azure, shading 

 first to a lighter blue, and in the farther distance to 

 a glittering silver brightness, which was so dazzling 

 that the eyes had to seek elsewhere for rest, We 

 had but the faintest thought of fish, and their 

 sudden coming with such rude hand-shakes was 

 quite a shock to two wee spectators at one of 

 Nature's early morning transformation scenes. 



Everything seemed unreal and dreamlike, yet so 

 unlimitedly great as to make dreams mere peep- 

 shows and dreamers petty atoms. All this and 

 more I saw while the rod lay on my knees, and I 

 was toying with the winch, unmindful of its check. 

 The dumb winch protested against such unwarrant- 

 able neglect by paring a nail with its handle so 

 closely that my finger bled ; but the fight was on, 

 and all my thoughts were needed to overcome the 

 difficulties of a line, the loosened rings of which 

 were tangled. 



Three several times the fish turned in time to 

 save the break, but the fourth wild rush was too 

 long drawn-out, and the expected and richly- 

 deserved loss occurred. The bait, trace, lead, and 

 forty yards of line disappeared, leaving me a tangled 

 mass of line and a much vexed temper to straighten 

 out, while my companion fished on with the steady 

 nerve of the shooter whose first shot has been 

 successful. 



What omens first shots often are ! Nell, my 



