PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 81 



who can thus lose a (say) fifty-pound salmon with- 

 out intermitting a single puff of his cigar ! Many 

 a saint has been canonized who never exhibited the 

 angelic virtues of uncomplaining submission and 

 gentle patience in such sublime measure. 



Another mishap occurred in this wise : When 

 I was fighting what afterward proved to be a 

 thirty-four pound fish (my largest), and just at a 

 most critical moment, I found that my line had 

 become crossed and " doubled under " on my reel. 

 I could take in at pleasure, but I could not let out 

 an inch. It was an awkward fix ; but as good luck 

 would have it, by risking an extra strain upon my 

 rod I soon regained more line than was afterward 

 called for, and saved my fish. The dilemma was 

 the result of careless reeling. One cannot be too 

 particular in seeing that his line is reeled up close- 

 ly and without a lap. I lost a salmon before I 

 thoroughly learned this useful lesson. 



These mishaps, however, were but exceptions to 

 the rule of good luck, although it is undoubtedly 

 the experience of most salmon anglers that they 

 miss a great many more fish that rise than they 

 hook, and lose a great many more that are hooked 

 than they kill. At least that was our experience. 

 Enough, however, were killed, and of sufficient 

 weight, to satisfy the ambition of the most ambi- 

 tious in our party. On the General's large score 

 11 



