PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 89 



his lips, as trout often do, and dashed at last for 

 the bait. I struck him on the instant, but too 

 soon. I knew he was badly hooked, and felt that 

 to save him would require most careful handling. 

 The bank upon which I stood was three or four 

 feet above the water, and the water two yards 

 from the bank was twenty feet in depth. After 

 a struggle of ten minutes, I saw that with the del- 

 icate hold I had of him it would be impossible 

 either to kill or lift him, and having neither land- 

 ing net nor gaff, JAMES WILD who as a looker- 

 on was even more excited than myself begged 

 of me to lead the fish close to the bank, when he 

 could, he thought, by taking the line near the 

 hook, slide him out of the water in safety. I was 

 afraid of the experiment and suggested my hat as 

 a substitute for a landing net ; but he, as he always 

 is, was sanguine of success and I submitted. 

 Never was fish led more delicately, and he fol- 

 lowed my lead as kindly as a pet lamb, until I held 

 him within three feet of WILD'S stand-point. Seiz- 

 ing the line, and poising himself with artistic pre- 

 cision, he slid the beautiful creature out of the 

 water nearly to the top of the bank, when the 

 hook was disengaged, and, with a single shake of 

 his tail, as if in defiance, he plunged back into his 

 native element, and / after him ! Seeing that the 

 momentum which W. gave him was not sufficient 

 12 



