wo 
248 Fisuinc my American WATERS. 
ing how beautiful! Tere is nothing more beautiful than a 
fresh-run salmon when first taken, neither is there any pen- 
cil capable of creating its apparent counterpart. To feel a 
salmon fast to your fly and see its leap is alone worth a voy- 
age to Canada to experience. 
Again I swept the pool with care and got a rise. As I 
could not allure the beauty to a second attempt, I concluded 
to rest the pool and go to the foot of the plain water, where 
I saw the salmon disporting like dolphins just above the 
rapid. The bed of the river was about a quarter of a mile 
wide, and shallow on my side, I therefore waded out, and 
after a few casts hooked a large, vigorous salmon. After a 
high leap it struck out to the middle of the river. Then it 
made numerous rushes and leaps, with turns and sweeps, un- 
til finally the hook sprang back to me, and let the twenty- 
pounder go on its way rejoicing. Very soon T hooked an- 
other, and it attempted to run the rapid; but I checked it a 
quarter of a mile below, where it stopped to sulk behind a 
rock, and before it formed another plan, my man Duncan 
watched his chance and gafled it. 
Again, after half an hour's playing, I sueceeded in losing a 
very large fresh-run salmon. I felt mortified, and so con- 
cluded on returning to the head of the stretch to learn the 
intentions of the large fish which had offered before I left, 
and for which I rested the pool. I went to the head of the 
pool and swept it along down until I came to where I got the 
rise before I left; but it had either leaped the ehute or gone 
from home, and after a few rises but no strikes, I returned to 
dinner. “ Moving large fish, however, is held by every true 
angler only second to hooking them; but many persons are 
apt to despise the most skillful and patient efforts uniess 
crowned with immediate success.” 
This is the experience 
of John Colquhoun and every true angler. 
Next morning, by dint of perseverance and continued ef- 
fort, I finally hooked a salmon at the foot of the pool, and just 
at that moment a loud crackling was heard im the thick un- 
