PLEASURES OF ANGLING. 253 



from my contracted and slippery pedestal. I suc- 

 ceeded, however, by stooping down carefully and 

 securing, by hand, each fish alternately as he lay in 

 the water, except one, who broke the snell by chaf- 

 ing against the rock. 



On reaching the rapids this year, I was not at 

 all sanguine of success, even below the dam, whose 

 construction had made such sad havoc with the 

 best fishing points above. But I was soon relieved 

 of my apprehensions. I had a prompt response to 

 my first cast, and speedily landed a two-pound 

 trout, the precursor of many more of the same 

 sort, killed during our week's sojourn. And it 

 was a week of supreme satisfaction. The rapids 

 were full of trout, large, active and eager ; and as 

 there was a lumber shanty in the neighborhood, 

 whose occupants were quite willing to receive all 

 we sent them, we could satisfactorily dispose of 

 the surplus portion of our catch. But very soon 

 the supply was in excess of this demand, and I 

 compromised with my conscience by throwing back 

 all under two pounds. I dare not say how many 

 were thus " rehabilitated," but enough, certainly, 

 to furnish a rich harvest for my next year's visit. 



Although I have had no such success in twenty 

 years at this or any other point in all this region, 

 I have only one thing which anglers would deem 

 at all noteworthy to record. I was casting with 



