208 ANGLING REMINISCENCES. 



the assistance of my left arm, I kept pretty fairly 

 afloat, and managed at the same time to control a 

 desperate plunge of the infuriated fish, who forth- 

 with, finding all such exertion to no purpose, re- 

 sumed his career up the river. 



" Gentlemen, I cannot describe to you my situation 

 at this juncture. I have no recollection of how I 

 felt and acted for the space of some minutes, seeing 

 that such must have elapsed before I again found 

 myself able rationally to decide what steps, consist- 

 ent with the honour of an angler, it were best for 

 me to pursue. I had been hauled upwards of an 

 hundred yards through the centre of the water, and 

 was now lying* altogether exhausted, on a shoal-bed 

 of gravel. My rod, strange to say, remained un- 

 injured in my grasp, and instinctively T felt apprised 

 of the continued presence of the great fish, again 

 at rest, within the distance of five paces. Pie had, 

 however, fortunately, no inclination to stir fin pre- 

 vious to my reaching terra firma, on the south bank 

 of the river, where, by the aid of my flask, I was 

 enabled ere long to regain a good portion of my 

 lost strength and courage; which having done, I 

 commenced a violent attack with sods and stones 

 upon the spot where he lay, and speedily had the 

 gratification of beholding him at full sail down the 

 stream. Following, of course, as fast as the drenched 

 state of my habiliments allowed me, I felt further 

 encouraged by an indication of great exhaustion on 

 the part of the fish, who evidently had lost the power 



