372 



77ie Story 

 of Kopseep 



Kopseep was back in the pool, fanning the 

 water quietly as if nothing whatever had 

 happened. 



Since entering fresh water Kopseep's 

 appetite had vanished; but now it began 

 suddenly to gnaw again. That was simply 

 Nature's way of telling him to go back to 

 the sea, where he might be healed. It was 

 not the pain of his wound ; for, like other 

 fish, he seemed to feel nothing of that kind. 

 Had he stayed in the fresh water the para- 

 sites would speedily have fastened on the raw 

 flesh and killed him; but of that he knew 

 nothing. He simply felt hungry, and remem- 

 bered that in the sea there was food in abun- 

 dance. Salmon fishermen have always noticed 

 how wounded fish suddenly begin feeding. 

 Sometimes when the wound is no more than 

 the mark of a net, which has split a fin or 

 brushed off a ring of scales around the head, 

 the marked salmon will plunge at a fly more 

 vigorously than any of his fellows in the 

 pool, and will even take worms or a shiner, 

 if your sportmanship allow you to offer them. 

 So Kopseep, feeling only the hunger, — which 



