124 RUNNING IT RATHER CLOSE. [PART I. 
her, she being a heavy square-sterned coble, the 
fish had run out the whole of my line, nearly a 
hundred yards, with the exception of one turn 
cand a half round the reel. I had been giving it 
to him more and more reluctantly for some time, 
though, knowing the state of my gut, I did not 
dare to put any strain upon it, and was all ready, 
if he persisted, to let him have rod and all, by 
throwing it into the water, as soon as the line was 
exhausted. However, at last, I ventured on just 
as much gently persuasive force as I thought my 
trace would bear, and the move fortunately suc- 
ceeded. Back he turned, and away he came again, 
straight for the boat, much faster than I could 
wind up, though Cameron backed me by pulling 
his best. Of course the line became perfectly 
slack, and I had made up my mind he was off, 
when a gradual tightening of it told me, to my 
relief, that he was still all right, and in a few 
seconds more I had him under command again. 
This second pull he resented by another tremen- 
dous rush in the direction he had at first taken, 
and again he ran out almost the whole of my line. 
As I had however by this time to some extent 
“taken his measure,” and he was not quite so 
fresh as he was at first, I ventured to check him 
