The Halcyon in Canada. 555 



slackened and we emerged from our den, Joe going to look after his 

 horse, which had eaten but little since coming into the woods, the 

 poor creature was so disturbed by the loneliness and the black flies ; 

 I to make preparations for dinner, while my companion lazily 

 took his rod and stepped to the edge of the big pool in front of the 

 camp. At the first introductory cast, and when his fly was not 

 fifteen feet from him upon the water, there was a lunge and a 

 strike, and apparently the fisherman had hooked a bowlder. I 

 was standing a few yards below, engaged in washing out the 

 coffee-pail, when I heard him call out: 



" I have got him now !" 



" Yes, I see you have," said I, noticing his bending pole and 

 moveless line; "when I am through, I will help you get loose." 



" No ; but I'm not joking," said he ; "I have got a big fish." 



I looked up again, but saw no reason to change my impression, 

 and kept on with my work. 



It is proper to say that my companion was a novice at fly-fishing, 

 he never having cast a fly till upon this trip. 



Again he called out to me ; but, deceived by his coolness and non- 

 chalant tones, and by the lethargy of the fish, I gave little heed. I 

 knew very well that if I had struck a fish that held me down in that 

 way, I should have been going through a regular war-dance on that 

 circle of bowlder-tops, and should have scared the game into activity, 

 if the hook had failed to wake him up. But as the farce continued, I 

 drew near. 



" Does that look like a stone or a log?" said my friend, pointing 

 to his quivering line, slowly cutting the current up toward the center 

 of the pool. 



My skepticism vanished in an instant, and I could hardly keep 

 my place on the top of the rock. 



" I can feel him breathe," said the now warming fisherman ; "just 

 feel of that pole." 



I put my eager hand upon the butt, and could easily imagine I 

 felt the throb or pant of something alive down there in the black 

 depths. But whatever it was moved about like a turtle. My com- 

 panion was praying to hear his. reel spin, but it gave out now and 

 then only a few hesitating clicks. Still, tin- situation was excitingly 

 dramatic, and we were all actors. I rushed for the landing-net, but 



