78 SPORT. 



stream like a telegraphic message. " Row ashore, 

 Ole ! Row for life! for now he means mischief!" 

 Once in the swift water at the tail of the pool he 

 will try not only my reel, but my own wind and 

 condition to boot ; for down he must go now, 

 weighed he but a poor five pounds ; once out of 

 this pool and there is nothing to stop him for 

 300 yards. We near the shore, and I spring into 

 the shallow water and prance and bound after him 

 with extravagant action, blinding myself with the 

 spray which I dash around me. Ah ! well I 

 know and much I fear this rapid ! The deep water 

 being on the other side of the river, the fish in- 

 variably descend there, and from the wide space 

 intervening, too deep for man to wade in, . too 

 shallow for fish to swim in, and too rou^h for 



o 



boat to live in, the perturbed fisherman must always 

 find an awful length of line between him and his 

 fish, which, however, he can in no way diminish 

 till he arrives considerably lower down, where the 

 river is narro.wer. Many a gallant fish has by 



