180 PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 



no sleight in casting was of the least avail. They 

 seemed impelled by mere exuberance of spirits. 

 Sometimes I could see insects moving about in their 

 neighborhood ; but ofterier nothing whatever ap- 

 peared to justify or excuse their tantalizing f riski- 

 ness. The novel spectacle, however, was entertain- 

 ing, and was kept up for several hours without 

 intermission. It is possible that some sort of fly 

 would have lured them, but as nothing I had 

 proved a success, I could only watch and wait. I 

 tried to " jig " them that is, to strike them with 

 my hook while they were leaping, but I only suc- 

 ceeded in scratching the side of one of them as he 

 was returning to his native element. This tanta- 

 lizing sport continued so long that I had become 

 weary of it, and I was ready to retire when one of 

 the " gay gamboliers " took compassion upon me, 

 and struck at my fly with such spirit as convinced 

 me that I had some lively work before me. He 

 was evidently quite as much surprised and startled 

 as I was when he found himself under arrest. For 

 when he first felt the sting of the hook he held 

 himself as motionless as a log, as if cogitating upon 

 the probable cause of the new sensation. But his 

 cogitations were of short duration. Before I had 

 time to up anchor and get properly braced for the 

 encounter, he concluded to " go," which he did in 

 the handsomest manner possible. He confined 



