SALMON FISHING. 233 



into the coppice, and following a faint track worn by the feet of the 

 wild-deer in the first instance, and widened by his own bolder tread, 

 soon reached the bottom of the chasm, though not until he had flushed 

 from the dense oak covert two noble black cocks with their superb 

 forked tails, and glossy purple-lustered plumage, which soared away, 

 crowing their bold defiance, over the heathery moorlands. 



" Once at the water's edge, the young man's tackle was speedily 

 made ready, and in a few minutes his long line went whistling through 

 the air, as he wielded the powerful two-handed rod, as easily as if it 

 had been a stripling's reed, and the large gaudy peacock-fly alighted 

 on the wheeling eddies, at the tail of a long arrowy shoot, as gently as 

 if it had settled from too long a flight. Delicately, deftly, it was 

 made to dance and skim the clear, brown surface, until it had crossed 

 the pool and neared the hither bank ; then again, obedient to the pli- 

 ant wrist, it arose on glittering wing, circled half round the angler's 

 head, and was sent fifteen yards aloof, straight as a wild bee's flight, 

 into a little mimic whirlpool, scarce larger than the hat of the skilful 

 fisherman, which spun round and round just to leeward of a gray ledge 

 of limestone. Scarce had it reached its mark before the water broke 

 all around it, and the gay deceit vanished, the heavy swirl of the sur- 

 face, as the break was closing, indicating the great size of the fish which 

 had risen. Just as the swirl was subsiding, and the forked tail of the 

 monarch of the stream was half seen as he descended, that indescri- 

 bable but well-known turn of the angler's wrist, fixed the barbed hook, 

 and taught the scaly victim the nature of the prey he had gorged so 

 heedlessly. 



" With a wild bound he threw himself three feet out of the water,* 

 showing his silver sides, with the sea-lice yet clinging to his scales, a 

 fresh sea-run fish of fifteen, ay, eighteen pounds, and perhaps over. 



" On his broad back he strikes the water, but not as he meant the 

 tightened line ; for as he leaped the practised hand had lowered the 

 rod's tip, that it fell in a loose bight below him. Again ! again ! 

 again ! and yet a fourth time he bounded into the air with desperate 

 and vigorous soubresaults, like an unbroken steed that would dismount 

 his rider, lashing the eddies of the dark stream into bright bubbling 

 streaks, and making the heart of his captor beat high with anticipation 

 16 



