264 AN ANGLER'S SEASON 



he was in distress. " Help ! " he cried : 

 " I'm slippin' in ! " My host was to the 

 rescue promptly, and an extraordinary 

 ongoing ensued. To the pull of the 

 salmon John could oppose no more than 

 his own inertia, which, as the bank was 

 sloping, was not great. All the muscular 

 energy he could afford to use was that 

 which was needed in order that he might 

 not lose hold of the violently agitated 

 gaff. John, in short, had become part 

 of the landing apparatus. There was 

 Bismarck, his heels dug into the turf, his 

 head and shoulders thrown back as if he 

 were engaged in a tug -of -war, John's 

 ankles in his hands ! 



When at length the four of us were 

 reposing on the bank I myself at least 

 was nearly as "far through" as the 

 salmon. 



Dinner within an hour would have 

 been welcome ; but my host did not 

 insist on punctuality. He said that a 



