Tue Doctor powe Berrer. 73 
S. Toot! doctor, don’t be too modest ; a man who has shot 
wolves in the Black Forest, and killed salmon in the Dee and 
Moisie, is not easily demoralized by a striped bass. 
Mosier, Yes, doctor, you jist make a cast out into the Rifle 
Pit, and do it right away, for I see by their whirls that they 
are hungry. 
S. See that your thumb-stalls are well on, and that your 
line is clear. Now reel up so that your bait is within two 
feet of the tip of your rod, and when you cast, hold your 
thumb gently on the reel-line, and as the bait touches the 
water, press your thumb on the line to check the reel at once, 
and prevent the reel from overrunning. 
D, Well, here goes for a second trial. 
S. Very fair cast ; far enough for bass at this stage of tide. 
D. Ye—ye—es,I see it is, but then I shall not be able to 
save him—I know I can not, for he runs and pulls so like a 
reindeer that I can not check him. There! my thumb-stall 
is loose, and I feel that my reel is not tight. Te’s gone! I 
knew I couldn’t save him. 
S. Don’t be so excited, doctor; keep cool, and reel in your 
slack line; he is only studying a new dodge or making a new 
tack. 
Mosier, He breaks water; I seen him; he’s a scrouger! 
S. There, doctor, you perceive he has hove to for a lunar, 
and to discover how to tack; there! he is now laying his 
course for Newport; reel as fast as you can, and, if necessary, 
run back to prevent him from getting slack line. 
D. This last turn and the dash of spray nearly capsized 
me. Why, he plays as strong as he did when he was first 
hooked. 
S. How long do you suppose you have played him ? 
D. Nearly an hour, and he seems to grow stronger and 
stronger. ; 
S. It is not yet fifteen minutes since you hooked him; bear 
up, keep cool, and keep your line clear on the reel, and be 
prepared for his fight. They do not appear to be in a mood 
