The Outfit Rods. 39 



for more than ten successive years in the heavy trout- 

 fishing of Maine without the slightest accident, and that 

 therefore any failure which might be cited against it 

 must necessarily be due to faulty workmanship rather 

 than error in principle of construction, was no longer 

 available. As far as I knew, a salmon-rod had never 

 been so joined. Thus I could but answer theory with 

 theory, and with the usual result: 



" A man convinced against his will 

 Is of the same opinion still." 



The salmon-rod in question was fifteen and one half 

 feet long, and in three joints of equal length. The long- 

 est ferrule that uniting the butt and middle joint was 

 three and one half inches long, and all the ferrules were 

 fitted in accordance with the principles before set forth. 

 No device whatever was used to prevent the joints throw- 

 ing apart, except the natural cohesion due to the fitting 

 of fehe ferrules one within the other. The ferrules were at 

 all times kept well greased to facilitate ultimate separa- 

 tion and to exclude water, as is my practice; while the 

 metal of which they were composed was in itself an ex- 

 periment, as far as this use of it was concerned, and was 

 found so inferior to German silver or even good brass in 

 stiffness, that it was not without hesitation and doubt that 

 I used it at all. 



With this rod so united I took twenty-five salmon. 

 The largest weighed thirty-two pounds, and was gaffed 

 only after a struggle lasting one hour and fifty minutes. 

 One fish of twenty-six pounds, taken after a fight of 

 one hour and fifteen minutes, was hooked in the side 

 about three inches back of the gill. One fish, which I 



