178 Recreations of a Sportsman 



feel the thrill that went up my arm as he slashed 

 from side to side, then surged off with strength 

 that was almost irresistible. I could not believe 

 it possible that a trout could make so desperate 

 a play, and slowly, inch by inch, I brought him 

 in, Raphael on the qui vive, net in hand. Sud- 

 denly he dropped it and exclaimed, ' Mon Dieu! 

 Mon Dieu! you have three. I swear I take heem 

 off two.' 



" It was a fact, I was playing three trout ; the 

 two remaining flies had been seized almost the 

 moment he had taken the fish from the flies. In 

 they came, fighting, dashing this way and that, 

 and again Raphael, a good man as I say from 

 up the Tadousac way, a good Catholic, I happen 

 to know, carefully took the upper and second fish 

 from the flies and dropped them with the others, 

 and again the trout on the end hook made its 

 final rush away, and again I felt the undue 

 strain, the peculiar sag, only twice as fierce, 

 twice as menacing. Slowly, carefully I reeled, 

 checking the rushes with rod and my thumb on 

 the line; playing, giving the butt, keeping rea- 

 sonably cool, and marvelling at the strength of 

 these Canadian trout. They came in very 

 slowly, but they came in warring among them- 

 selves, and when I had them on the quarter, 

 mirabile dictu! there were three trout; the two 

 new ones had taken the extra flies as they raced 

 away after the original trout. 



