THE SALMON. 93 



steadying his steps, and heavy shoes with iron nails 

 will in a measure prevent his slipping and will obviate 

 stone bruises, although they are apt to break the 

 delicate knees of the canoe, and should be removed 

 before getting into one, and moccasins or slippers sub- 

 stituted. There is a well authenticated story of one fish 

 that was struck at six o'clock in the evening, followed 

 down through three rapids, and finally lost at half-past 

 ten o'clock that evening. 



Salmon will sulk, remaining motionless at the bottom 

 for a long time after they are wearied with an unsuc- 

 cessful struggle, and must be aroused with pebbles, bear- 

 ing on the line, or in some other way. Many of the 

 pools in the Canadian waters have been worn out of clay 

 banks, and their sides under water are often perpendicu- 

 lar or overhanging. When the fish sulks in one of these, 

 the line cuts into the edge of this bank, and is of course 

 broken to pieces by the first rush. 



Gentleness will do much with fish, as with other rea- 

 sonable beings, and a friend of mine saved a number in 

 a pool above an impassable rapid, where other anglers 

 had pronounced fishing impracticable, by striking and 

 handling the fish with extreme delicacy till they were 

 led to the head of the pool away from the dangerous 

 neighborhood. 



There is no superlative salmon line made ; the best, 

 probably, plaited silk, tapered and covered with a prepa- 

 ration to exclude the water ; but that in general use is 

 of hair and silk plaited or twisted a combination that, 

 as we elsewhere remark, is by no means advantageous ; 

 a plain hair line is preferred by careful anglers, and sim- 



