XX INTEODUCTION 



once or twice — three times even ; but Jiis principal tac- 

 tics lie in naaking spirited dashes up or down the stream, 

 making the reel screech again, and bringing the angler's 

 heart farther up into his mouth with every extra yard of 

 line taken out. 



As regards the comparison of sport, however, which 

 ouananiche fishing bears in relation to all other kinds of 

 fishing, it is, in my opinion, hard to beat. Whether the 

 fish be hooked upon a fly or on a minnow with a fine gut 

 collar, from the moment he first has the bait in his mouth 

 until he is not only in the landing -»net but actually 

 "grassed," he always has a chance of escape, and even 

 when landed he cannot be always reckoned as killed. 

 Such is his elasticity, the india-rubber, gutta-percha, 

 racket -ball nature of his backbone, that he resembles 

 Eudyard Kipling's description of our dear, well-remem- 

 bered f oeman, the " Puzzy Wuzzy" of the Soudan. Like 

 that Hadendowah Arab, the ouananiche is distinctly an 

 " india-rubber idiot on the spree." Even when you have 

 got him in the landing-net he will at times bound out of 

 it again ! Bring him to shore on a somewhat steep, slop- 

 ing bank, and, if you be not careful, he will, describing 

 an arc like a rainbow, project himself over your stooping 

 form, far back into the waters whence he came, while if 

 you have so far succeeded as to land him in your birch- 

 bark canoe, your only chance of keeping him there quiet 

 is to sit upon his head. Ah ! Chambers, friend of my 

 bygone days, dost thou not remembqr how I sat upon 

 the head of that shapely six-pounder in our frail canoe 

 on the pellucid waters of Lake Tschotagama, while he, 

 with his brawny tail, administered unto me such a cas- 

 tigation as had fortunately never been my lot to receive 

 since my early boyhood days at school ? Ah ! what a 

 time we had of it together on that voyage up the Peri- 



