spitefully and turned to give Sylvanus a lecture for his nonsense, but bless 

 you, he vvan't there. Then I looked up at my basket on the bank, and to 

 my surprise it was full of fine trout. Every time I had jerked my coat 

 tail I flopped a fish into the basket, for I foinid that the barbless hook, 

 baited with an angleworm, was hanging out through a rent in my pocket 

 with about a foot of line, and I had been doing a good stroke at still fish- 

 ing without knowing it — "and a very good record for the 'Lie-Coming 

 River,' too," interrupted a listener. 



THE REMARKABLE TROUT FRY. 



That is somewhat similar to an incident which I recall, said Mr. S. B. 

 Smith, of Dauchy's Agency, one of the quiet men of the party. Three 

 of us, schoolboy chums, were trout fishing in northern New York, and the 

 duties of cook were filled in rotation by each of our trio. On the day 

 referred to, I filled the position of cook, and arose early to prepare break- 

 fast. I partially kindled a camp fire, stuck the keen-pointed, sharp-bladed 

 knife through an overhanging branch, and underneath this placed a board 

 at an angle, and drew a rough outline of a man, with a silver spoon fastened 

 in the crevice representing the mouth. 



After this boyish prank, designed to amuse my comrades when they 

 should come out of the tent, I hung the frying pan above the slow fire, 

 and proceeded to the stream, some ten yards awav, hoping to catch a few- 

 trout for breakfast. I fished by main strength, not by skill, in those days, 

 and although three large trout seized the hook in rapid succession, I lost 

 every one by yanking the rod fiercely and sending the fish spinning through 

 the air, tearing the bai^b loose. 



.Becoming discouraged, I was about to return to the tent, when Rob, 

 who had come to the camp-fire, told me to look out for 

 the frying fish or they would be burned to a crisp. 

 Each of the trout I had hooked went in a semicircle, 

 struck the sharp point of the projecting knife, which 

 opened the fish neatly, and in sliding down the board 

 the viscera was removed by the spoon, so that all fell 

 into the frying pan, properly dressed for company, 

 S^iSand done brown for the table, when I returned. 



57 



