32 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



apparatus out just beyond the birds, and so dragged each 

 out in turn. 



An unearthly kind of yell suddenly reached my ears, 

 and looking in the direction of the fleet, I saw Billy 

 waving his cap like a madman with one hand, and 

 hauling away at my rod with the other. 



Taking ditch and dyke in my stride — and some of 

 them were yawners — I ran across the marshes as though 

 his Satanic Majesty was at my heels. 



" Thought I told you not to touch the rod, WilHam ? " 

 I remarked to the boy, who appeared half-scared out of 

 his wits. 



" I know 'e did, mister, but that gert old jack-fish 

 would have pulled the rod into the fleet if I hadn't a 

 taken howd of it," and then, lowering his voice almost to 

 a whisper, he added, " Lord, I be af eared o' the masterful 

 ode varmint, for he comed at me open- jawed like a mad 

 dawg ! " 



That there was a heavy fish at the end of my line I 

 was convinced, and during one or two mad rushes he 

 made across the fleet I was fearful that my not over- 

 powerful bamboo rod would go smash ; but after playing 

 the fish very quietly and carefully for some twenty 

 minutes or so, I hauled it into the shallow shelving bank 

 of the fleet, one of the handsomest specimens of a pike 

 I had ever seen. The fish scaled a few ounces over 

 17 lb. 



Between the hours of eight a.m. and one p.m. I landed 

 nine jack from the big fleet, all of which, however, with 



