THE "WHUSTLER" 267 



and even now, recalling the events and 

 the emotions of that night, I am not 

 calm enough to be fastidious in philology. 

 The words seem to express what I wish 

 to convey, which is that when the 

 salmon pulled so did I. Above the 

 clean yellow sandbank, in which pebbles 

 were sparkling like diamonds, I saw 

 him poking, poking, poking ; moving 

 sideways, about a foot at a time, as 

 if seeking a place at which to dart 

 across the shallows. At length he 

 lost his temper. Ceasing to struggle 

 in what may be called a straightforward 

 manner, he turned a lateral somersault, 

 and rolled over. Now, cantrips of that 

 kind are sometimes an indication that 

 the game is up, and that practically all is 

 over but the gaffing. On this occasion, 

 however, one had to moderate one's 

 transports. I did so by a mental railing 

 of which I now repent. " O, William F. 

 Fisher, of Colorado Springs and the City 

 of London, why, when you were foolin' 

 around Noo York, didn't you buy me one 



