CHAPTER VII 



DOWN IN THE DEEP VALLEYS BY THE STREAMS 



The necessity of leaving the high elevations and following 

 the course of deep valleys for several marches, in order to 

 get from one point to another, frequently brings the 

 Himalayan traveller to the haunts of the best of all 

 Indian fish for sport, the mahseer. To answer the ques- 

 tion. What is he like ? one must have seen him in the big 

 and rapid rivers which flow for great distances through 

 the lower hills before debouching into the plains. The 

 larger the river the finer the fish. In the upper reaches 

 of these rivers, provided there is no snow-water coming 

 down to chiU the water and render it turbid, there is no 

 finer fish to give good sport to the angler. He is Uke a 

 salmon in shape, but somewhat deeper and thicker, 

 though I have seen well-fed salmon quite as thickly and 

 powerfully made as the mahseer. He runs from five 

 pounds weight up to a hundred pounds, or, indeed, almost 

 any weight, and when taken out of the water after a long 

 and fierce fight for his life in the rapid rushing torrents 

 he frequents, there is no more beautiful, clean, bright- 

 looking fish than a thirty-pound hill mahseer. He shines 

 like steel and gold. His back is dark blue or gray, changing 

 on the belly to white and deep yellow. He will rise at 

 certain seasons, if the water is clear and rapid, to a fly 

 like a huge salmon-fly, but is oftener taken with a chilwa. 



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