192 With Rod and Gun in New England 



After his first great run my fish quieted down, but soon becoming 

 uneasy he dashed away again, and now began a battle that gave me all I 

 could attend to for a quarter of an hour, at least. It seemed almost as if 

 he were in a dozen places in the pool simultaneously. Now here, — in an 

 instant, dozens of yards away ; sometimes at the bottom of the river, as 

 often leaping three or four feet into the air, and thus he kept up a rattling 

 pace. He was a bright, fresh-run fish, of great strength and activity. 



At length, settling down, the salmon became for a time almost station- 

 ary, moving but a few feet in any direction. Believing that he was either 

 attempting to free himself from the hook by rubbing it against a stone, or 

 was endeavoring to entangle the casting-line in drift stuff, or among the 

 rocks, for Salmo is full of expedients, I soon gave him the full strain of 

 the rod. 



For a few seconds I could not induce him to move, but finally he 

 yielded and began another series of fierce runs, interspersed with wild 

 leaps and spells of sulkiness. At length he began to show signs of exhaus- 

 tion, his runs became shorter and his struggles weaker, until, finally, he lay 

 on his side, conquered. Cautiously reeling in my line until the fish could be 

 reached with the gaff, I gave the word to Francois and the prize was won. 



As the fish was lifted into the canoe, the other canoe, containing the 

 Judge and the two guides, glided into the pool. 



"Bravo," exclaimed my friend ; "that 's a very handsome fish." 



"Yes," I replied, "and he was a grand fighter, too ; he had more 

 strength than a fish ordinarily has of twice his size." 



I now yielded the water to the Judge, who quickly began casting while 

 I packed my rod and tackle, and made preparations for our long journey 

 home. For two hours my friend worked industriously and with good 

 success, his catch being a salmon almost the counterpart of mine, a couple 

 of grilse and several large sea trout. 



He at length came ashore, and the Doctor joining us, we made final 

 preparations for leaving the river. 



At a point near the foot of the pool was a wood road which led to an 

 adjacent farm, where after attending to our toilets and changing our 

 clothes, we procured horses and wagons to carry us to the station, which 

 was about ten miles distant. 



Our baggage was safely packed, and everything was ready for our 

 journey, when the Judge took from his portmanteau a bottle of choice 

 " Hermitage." 



"Gentlemen," said he, "we have had a magnificent trip. We have 

 been blessed with glorious weather, grand success, and perfect health ; let 

 us pour a libation to this, which has been one of the most enjoyable of all 

 my summer outings, and express the hope that the coming year will bring 

 another as pleasant." 



