A Sportsman at Large 283 



sight to see it dart up from a deep hole and come right over 

 the lure, with a perfect " head and tail rise." They declared 

 that they had never witnessed anything like it ! 



Three weeks later, I caught, in the Aasen Pool, what I am 

 convinced was this identical customer. If so, it was now in 

 wretched condition, and weighed barely thirty pounds ; 

 whilst its upper jaws bore a deep blue cicatrice which un- 

 doubtedly had been caused by a hook. From its appearance I 

 judged that the original wound had been inflicted at about the 

 time when I struck, played and lost the salmon in the straits. 



Our deeds of derring do so stimulated the ambition of my 

 C.O. that one day she begged me to take her fishing, though 

 never previously had she shown any desire to share in the 

 sport. 



At the time I speak of, the river had run low, and we had to 

 resort to the tactics which had been employed, during similar 

 conditions, on the occasion of my previous visit to the Sand, 

 that is to say, that the only chance of a fish was to ply a 

 prawn on the " sink and swim " principle in the deep holes 

 which lay under the precipitous rocks of the Adsen Pool. 



Thither I took the C.O. and fixed her up with the right 

 tackle. With the proverbial luck of the beginner, she had 

 hardly let her prawn down when she had a hefty pull. 



" Strike ! " I exclaimed excitedly. " Strike ! " Whereupon 

 she hit the surface of the water violently with her rod. 



' What on earth are you doing ? " I cried. 



' You told me to strike ! " she screamed. 



Of course the fish had made itself scarce. I explained 

 to her the modus operandi, so that the next venturesome salmon 

 which accepted her offering was duly attached. It was 

 evidently a fair-sized fish, and when it felt the prick of the 

 hook was off like lightning. Instead of giving out line or 

 allowing the fish to strip it from the reel, the C.O. held on 

 like grim death and for all she was worth ; so that she was 

 in danger of being pulled overboard, or of having her rod and 

 tackle smashed to smithereens. 



" Let it go ! let it go ! " I shouted. 



" Let it go, you fool ! " she gasped with withering emphasis. 

 " I came here to catch salmon not to let them go ! " 



