118 A MEDLEY OF SPOET 



heavy fish. It proved but a short and merry run, 

 however, and a few minutes later I reeled into the shore, 

 like a log, the most hideous specimen of a pike imaginable. 

 Very dark in colour, and possessed of a huge head armed 

 with formidable teeth, the body of the fish more re- 

 sembled that of a large eel than anything else, so 

 emaciated was it. Had the " brute " been in anything 

 like condition I believe it would have scaled at least 

 20 lb., whereas, when placed in the housewife's balance 

 at the homestead a few hours after capture, it weighed 

 barely 14 lb. Indeed, the bailiff's son did not err in 

 stating that it was " the skinniest and most terriable- 

 looking ode varmint of a jack-fish as ever swummed." 



The next cast saw me " hung up " amongst a bed of 

 submerged weeds of a particularly tough and tenacious 

 nature, and, while struggling to get my spoon free, 

 a loud shout from the parson, who was fishing some 

 500 yards farther along the fleet, caused me to look 

 in his direction, when I saw that he was playing what 

 appeared to be a heavy fish, for his rod was bent almost 

 double. Laying my own rod on the bank, I snatched 

 up the gafi-hook, which I had fashioned out of an old 

 bicycle spoke the preceding night, and ran to my friend's 

 assistance. 



" I have a big fellow on, I believe," said H , " but 



he's got no more fight in him than a minnow, and has been 

 sulking on the bottom for the last five minutes, and 

 refuses to budge an inch." Scarcely were the words 

 uttered than a heavy swirl appeared on the surface of 



