The Salmon of Monterey 199 



down about one hundred feet and was hammering 

 at me in a most peculiar way, as though he were 

 tossing his head from side to side trying to throw 

 the hook from his mouth; the result was a 

 hammer-like blow on the rod. 



" Here," continued Bill, " I go out, day after 

 day, fishin' for the market, gettin' up at three, 

 goin' after anchovies for bait, comin' in at six to 

 go out and hand-line salmon for a livin'; sick 

 and tired of it, and makin' about three dollars 

 a day some days and some days none. My point 

 of view is three meals a day, and hard work I 

 call it. But here comes you, Judge" (I must 

 have had a judicial aspect when the salmon was 

 sulking), " doin' the same thing, only makin' it 

 a dern sight harder work with that whip of a 

 pole, and you pay me, yes, pay me five dollars 

 to let you do my work. Now, how do you figure 

 that out? " 



I did not figure it; my salmon had made an 

 upward rush, the line was slack, and I thought 

 for the moment he was off. But the big mul- 

 tiplier, as finely made as a watch, responded to 

 the call, and I gained line, and as the fish a 

 blaze of silver went a foot into the air, I caught 

 up with him, had him on a taut line, and was 

 calling for the net. 



" You ain't ready for the net," said Bill with 

 the superior air he affected when he began to 

 talk about Herbert Spencer. 



