220 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



walked into two fish each. I only got one 5^-poun- 

 der ; I suppose my luck was worn out. It was great 

 fun to see three or four fish being played at the same 

 time ; the fun promised to become fast and furious. It 

 was all over in half an hour ; I remained until 2 A.M., 

 but not a touch. 



Yesterday morning had an exciting scene about 

 nine o'clock. Hooked a big fish above the house ; he 

 headed for the rapids ; no stopping him. The head- 

 strong brute went floundering down. The row he 

 made brought out the whole household like a swarm 

 of bees. Had on a Totness on single gut, and the line 

 got under the branches of a fallen tree, when Mr. H., 

 who is full of pluck and good nature, stripped in a 

 jiffey and jumped in, holding on with one hand, and, 

 with an axe in the other, lopped off the offending 

 branches. In spite of the force of the current, the 

 fish was getting spent, when crack went the line about 

 eighty yards from the bait. Mr. C. very kindly put 

 me on my legs again by lending me a new hundred- 

 yards line. 



July 27. Got here on the 15th of July, and a jolly 

 time we had of it. A reference to the register will 

 show that our sport for the first week was quite un- 

 precedented ; up to the present moment I have killed 

 twenty-seven lokhi and numberless trout. Last night, 

 at 10 P.M., I killed a monster of 221b. He was three 

 inches shorter than my brother's Salmo spurio of 2 lib., 

 and he measured 22^ inches round about the dor- 

 sal fin. At first I thought I had got hold of a stone ; 



