PIKE FISHING. 77 



this considerate exhibition of feeling would meet with 

 due appreciation; nor were we disappointed, for after the 

 lapse of a few minutes, which, under the circumstances 

 it must be admitted, seemed rather long ones, the fun 

 began. We were in sole possession of a light punt upon 

 an extensive sheet of water, and thus, having plenty of 

 sea room, we were rather confident as to the result. At 

 the first gentle touch of the rod, the fish ran out fully 

 half-a-hundred yards of line, at one impetuous rush, des- 

 pite the heavy strain placed upon the rod. A heavier 

 reserve was now put on the remaining portion of line 

 through the medium of the rod, but here we discovered 

 our command over him to be considerably less than we 

 calculated, for such was the determination of the hooked 

 fish to explore the other side of the lake, that the punt 

 began to move in chase. To reserve the remainder of our 

 line would tend to aggravate the nuisance, to let it run 

 meant disaster. Whilst we hesitated we unconsciously 

 stopped further supply of line, of which fact we were 

 forcibly reminded by the rapid motion of the punt as it 

 progressed across the water. Just as we had resolved to 

 break away from the fish he suddenly doubled, making 

 straight for the punt we hauled in the loose line in coils 

 at our feet as actively as was practicable under the cir- 

 cumstances the next instant he dashed off with renewed 

 vigor at right arigles, and we again strained heavily 

 upon every foot he stole, despite which our whole stock 

 was all but spent before he again turned. For more than 

 an hour was this operation of hauling in and paying out 

 line repeated without ceasing, at the end of which time 

 the final tragic end seemed as remote as ever. By this 

 time several stable functionaries from the adjoining man- 

 sion arrived upon the scene, among whom a learned con- 

 troversy ensued as to the probable weight and breed of a 

 fish capable of towing a man and a boat with impunity. 

 As the fish swerved along shore in their immediate prox- 



