THE PIKE FAMILY. 201 



of June 1856. One of my sons, aged fifteen, went with 

 three other boys to bathe in Inglemere Pond, near Ascot 

 Race-Course; he walked gently into the water to about 

 the depth of 4 feet, when he spread out his hands to 

 attempt to swim ; instantly a large fish came up and took 

 his hand into his mouth as far up as the wrist, but, find- 

 ing he could not swallow it, relinquished his hold, and the 

 boy, turning round, prepared for a hasty retreat out of the 

 pond j his companions, who saw it, also scrambled out of 

 the pond as fast as possible. My son had scarcely turned 

 himself round when the fish came up behind him and 

 immediately seized his other hand, crosswise, inflicting 

 some very deep wounds on the back of it ; the boy raised 

 his first-bitten, and still bleeding, arm, and struck the 

 monster a hard blow on the head, when the fish disap- 

 peared. The other boys assisted him to dress, bound up 

 his hand with their handkerchiefs, and brought him home. 

 We took him down to Mr. Brown, surgeon, who dressed 

 seven wounds in one hand ; and so great was the pain the 

 next day, that the lad fainted twice : the little finger was 

 bitten through the nail, and it was more than six weeks 

 before it was well. The nail came off, and the scar remains 

 to this day. 



" ' A few days after this occurrence, one of the woodmen 

 was walking by the side of the pond, when he saw some- 

 thing white floating. A man, who was passing on horse- 

 back, rode in, and found it to be a large Pike in a dying 

 state; he twisted his whip round it and brought it to 



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