A Sportsman at Large 279 



that the details of such encounters are apt to pan out some- 

 what monotonously ; but when an enthusiast, such as I claim 

 to be, has for years hankered after a fifty-pounder, and then has 

 secured one only a few ounces short of the desired weight, I 

 think it is up to him to describe when and where such a 

 momentous affair happened. So off we go ! 



One day I had been fishing the Adsen Pool steadily all the 

 early morning without having anything to show for my labours. 



After breakfast Tom and I entered the scow with Tolle, 

 to have another dart, just to show there was no animosity, 

 though the conditions were anything but favourable. As 

 usual, we started off with the fly, but neither of us met with 

 the ghost of a rise. Then we tried a prawn with no better 

 result. After that just for a lark I affixed a weird mother- 

 o '-pearl spinner, which had been presented to me by a neophyte 

 friend, who had had it dumped upon him by an unconscionable 

 tackle-maker. Of course, this venture of mine was laughed 

 to scorn by my companion. Tolle' s steady blue eyes 

 opened wider than I had ever seen them do before. I think 

 he had an idea that the continual run of bad luck had affected 

 my brain ! 



But just as the scow came within a few lengths of where the 

 brackish water of the tide was meeting the glacier stream, 

 suddenly a great body surged up from the depths and over 

 my despised spinner, and snapped it hard and good. In doing 

 so, the fish came half out of the water, thus exposing its mighty 

 proportions. Tom nearly fell backwards into the bows of 

 the boat with astonishment ? 



" My God, Cockie, what a fish ! " he yelled. " It can't be a 

 salmon ; I believe you're foul of a porpoise or a shark." 



Whatever it was that had taken a fancy to my decorative 

 lure, it went down deep, seeming hardly to realize what it was 

 up against, for some time elapsed before it attempted a run ; 

 but when it did, oh, my aunt ! it was some run, believe me ! 

 I had no chance to check it until my whole line and half its 

 backing was ripped off ; whilst my finger was cut half-way 

 to the bone. At last the fish turned and came towards us. 

 I shouted to Tolle to row for his life, whilst I snatched in the 

 slack, hand over hand, until I had a direct feel of the fish. 



