58 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the end of May not one was left. In August, 

 I found myself surrounded either by fish of my 

 own standing which had passed months in the 

 water, or fresh-run salmon, the early kelts of 

 the preceding year which had now returned 

 from the salt water. 



" During my sojourn in the pool, many and 

 many a lure passed over me, and many times I 

 felt half inclined to seize the tempting bait, but 

 I always restrained myself; every rock, and 

 ripple, and cliff, and stream, reminded me of 

 the struggles of my first friend the kelt, or 

 some other doomed fish, for many a gallant 

 struggle was I witness to, between the fisher- 

 man and the credulous fish, the victim of his 

 perfidious art. Of these some escaped, but 

 the majority were, after more or less resist- 

 ance, dragged ashore and killed. Of the 

 various wiles practised by those fortunates 

 who did escape, it may be interesting to make 

 some passing mention. One, I remember, a 

 grand fish of some eighteen pounds' weight, at 

 the first touch of the hook dashed with light- 

 ning speed down stream, turning neither to 

 the right nor to the left, running out a hundred 

 yards of line. The fisherman having neglected 



