192 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



through every manoeuvre natural under such circumstances to 

 induce him to bite, to the great delight of the watching jokers, 

 who, on his return, cross-question him sharply as to his sport. 

 This goes on for several days— minnows, dace, gudgeon have 

 all been tried and in vain. One of the party suggests that 

 possibly ' a frog might.' . . . Ha ! Esox homo has taken the 

 idea, and is off like a flash ! An hour — two — he returns : 

 ' You have him ! No ? impossible ! Well, certainly, I thought 



a frog ' ' Not a bit, my dear sir, no use, no use whatever, 



I assure you ; tried him with it for two hours, wouldn't touch 

 it, wouldn't touch it, my dear sir ; but — he ran at me several 

 times ! ' 



A second version of the story states that (driven to despair), 

 the troUer, as a last resource, hoisted the contumacious pike 

 out with a wire snare ; and a third that when he visited the 

 scene of his failure a few weeks after, he found a large painted 

 pike stuck upon a pole, and that he thought he had seen it 

 before. 



To return : when the nature of the retainer which your bait 

 has received is doubtful, a little judicious tightening or a few 

 slight pulls of the line will generally elicit signs of vitality 

 should a pike be at the other end of it. If ' no sign ' is made, 

 the demonstrations may be gradually increased until the point 

 is satisfactorily settled one way or other. Should the seizer — 

 being unmistakeably a fish — remain passive or moving quietly 

 about within a small compass for more than three or four 

 minutes after taking, a slight jerk (or ' stirring,' as Nobbes has 

 it) may be given at his mouth, which, if dexterously adminis- 

 tered, will probably have an effect the reverse of that produced 

 upon a horse who has taken 'a bit in his teeth,' and is hesitating 

 whether to bolt or not. 



Sufficient time should always be allowed to a pike to gorge 

 the bait — five or even ten minutes if necessary — the fact of his 

 having ' pouched ' will piost commonly be indicated by his 7novin<^ 

 off towards his favourite haunt i7nmediately afterwards. If 

 he then remains quiet without moving away again, the line 



