A VOYAGE IN THE DARK 



topped the rushes for an instant, and 

 dropped again into the mazes of the 

 marsh. But they were always announ- 

 cing a numerous if invisible presence 

 where now not one answered to our 

 voices or the noise of our oars. 



All this while our trolling gear was in 

 tow: the boy's a "phantom minnow" 

 bristling with barbs, a veritable porcu- 

 pine fish ; mine a fluted spoon. The 

 larger fish seemed attracted by the bet- 

 ter imitation, or perhaps age and expe- 

 rience had given them discernment to 

 shun the other more glaring sham, and 

 the best of them went to the boy's score ; 

 but the unwise majority of smaller fish 

 were evidently anxious to secure souve- 

 nir spoons of Little Otter, and in con- 

 sequence of that desire I was "high 

 hook "as to numbers. They were only 

 pickerel at best, though some of them, 

 bearing their spots on a green ground, 

 are honored with the name of " maska- 

 longe " by our fishermen. A scratch of 

 the finger-nail across the scaly gill-cover 

 gives proof enough to convince even a 

 blind man of the worthlessness of this 

 claim to distinction. 



122 



