AN ADVENTURE. 345 



fair way to repeat the performance, I moved forty yards 

 lower down toward the tail of the stream, where, from the 

 placid appearance of the surface, I had little doubt I could 

 wade. With the assistance of the pole of my landing-net, 

 I succeeded in staggering out to a shoal bank of gravel, 

 about ten yards from the brink, and although quite up to 

 the knee, established a firm footing ; and each cast rose or 

 hooked a fish. The water appeared to be alive with trout; 

 first one would spring several feet clear of the water with 

 a vim and energy positively speaking of determination; 

 another would only barely come to the surface, leaving no 

 other indication of his presence than a miniature whirlpool ; 

 while a third would roll over like a grampus, displaying a 

 good view of his golden, strongly proportioned, handsome 

 side, raising the demon of covetousness in my breast. I 

 have frequently sought for a satisfactory reason for the 

 different degrees of ardor which fish exhibit in taking the 

 fly. I am inclined to believe that much is to be attributed 

 to caprice, and not hunger, for it is very rare to see a heavy 

 fish entirely disengage himself from the water when about 

 to seize the cunningly-devised imitation. 



Several fine fish had fallen to my prowess, and step by 

 step, with cautious care, I advanced down the river, till I 

 had almost got within casting distance of the bottom of 

 the pool, where the stream was contracted previous to 

 forming another rapid. 



In taking my last throw, I was so near the broken wa- 

 ter that my trail-fly was without doubt in it, when, without 

 seeing a fish, I felt a smart pluck at my line. On elevating 

 the top of my rod, I found that a small chub had taken 

 my hook. Reeling up to get rid of the incumbrance, and 

 fetching him to the surface, what was my surprise to see an 

 immense trout dash at the unfortunate captive, and in the 

 twinkling of an eye I had my reel going at telegraph speed. 



15* 



