44 CUDDIES AND LITHE. 



must of necessity have given way. Rowing was now 

 suspended, and Walter rose from his oar to watch 

 the progress of the contest. After diving, plunging, 

 pulling obstinately, and trying every device for nearly 

 ten minutes, my fish gradually gave in, suffered 

 himself to be drawn alongside, and Donald lifted him 

 exultingly into the boat. He proved to be what is 

 here called " a lithe," though what his proper name 

 may be I do not know. His length was a little under 

 a yard ; and Donald said he would weigh eight pounds. 

 Walter now returned to his rod, in the hopes of 

 catching a fish of the same sort and size as mine ; and, 

 as we had during the struggle imperceptibly drifted 

 away with the tide, we at once pulled back to the spot 

 where I had hooked him. Donald was sure that where 

 there had been one there would be more, and so it 

 proved ; for we had scarcely passed the place, when at 

 the same instant both the rods were tried to the utmost 

 by a repetition of the same plunging, diving, and 

 obstinate pulling. We kept up^the fight for some time, 

 as before ; and most exciting sport it was. Walter, 

 however, had secured his fish, and laid him gasping in 

 the bottom of the boat, while mine was still resisting as 

 obstinately and showing as much play as ever. Indeed, 

 we began to think that I should never gain the mastery, 

 while each moment threatened the rupture of my 

 tackle. But at length, by dint of patient perseverance 

 and cautious dealing, which called forth the expression 

 of praise from Donald, " 'Deed, sir, but I'didna' ken 

 ye could angle the like o' that," I drew in my anta- 

 gonist, and found to my astonishment that, instead of 

 one lithe, there were two, each fully as large as my 

 first. The obstinacy of the struggle now no longer sur- 

 prised us ; the only wonder was that the tackle had held 



