i886. 



IV. WlTCHDORTER, AND BOBBINGMOON's SALMON, 



yWl R. Hopper's first pike! but what did it weigh ? and how 

 / \ did you catch it ? are questions which naturally 

 suggest themselves to his readers. Well, it was not 

 a big fish, it only weighed 3^1bs., but in Mr. Hopper's juvenile 

 eyes it was a veritable monster, and quite put in the shade any 

 fish ever caught by the ancient " Izaak." Now for the answer 

 to the second of the above questions. In those days 

 Mr. Hopper was very small, and he looked upon the pike as 

 being nearly as big as himself. However, the writer was not 

 considered too small to be denied the privilege of making one 

 at a picnic at Well Vale, near Alford. Mr. Hopper supposes, 

 also because he was so small, the privilege, denied to others, 

 was extended to him of fishing in the lake, and he had taken 

 his rod on the off chance of being allowed to fish for 

 even in those early days the passion was strong upon 

 Mr. Hopper and the then proprietor of Well Vale accorded 

 the writer the permission with the restriction that he was not to 

 fish for pike. It was wholly unnecessary to impose such a 

 restriction, as in those days Mr. Hopper looked upon pike very 

 much in the nature of fresh water sharks, and quite ready to 

 eat a little boy if opportunity arose. It was a summer's day 

 with frequent showers, from which, when they came on, the 

 writer took refuge under some trees a little distance from his 

 rod. As evening came on, Mr. Hopper returned to his rod after 

 a somewhat longer absence than usual. On taking it up he found 

 a small perch of about 2oz. in weight had hooked himself, and 

 boy like Mr. Hopper kept throwing him in the water to see 

 him " bob " the float. All at once the float went away with a 

 tremendous run, and Mr. Hopper held on like grim death to his 

 rod. Tug, tug, tug, came in rapid succession, and the writer 

 was like to have been dragged into the lake to an untimely 

 end. Not an inch of line was given and after a few minutes 



