Get faiely Va^^tquished. 235 



ty rods above, but I turned him, when he went down stream 

 uiuoh faster than it was convenient for me to follow ; but he 

 stopped to rest where I hooked him, and glad enough was I, 

 for the morning was oppressively warm, and my rest had not 

 been of the most refreshing kind during the previous night. 

 Here I began to call loudly for a gaflfer, and presently I saw 

 the doctor's demijohn form approaching with a gaff, and 

 closely following was the general. By the time they arrived 

 my friend had concluded to return to sea, and started ; but 

 he soon found a resting-place, and, while playing him here, 

 the general insisted so sti'ongly against playing him too gen- 

 tly that I put a little more stress on the line. The fish rol- 

 licked around the pool, and showed his whole size and beau- 

 ty, when my friends judged that he would weigh over thirty 

 pounds. I thought so too, and played with great care. But 

 the salmon became impatient of restraint, and started. He 

 had not darted more than a hundred feet before the hook 

 sprang back to me, and he went on his way rejoicing, while 

 my friends returned to the tents. 



I felt as if I needed a strong glass of lemonade with a stick 

 in it to sustain me ; but, being strictly temperate — that morn- 

 ing — I sauntered back to the point above the eddy where I 

 had hooked my recently-departed friend. There I examined 

 the fly and hook with care, and found it secundum artem. 

 After becoming suflSciently rested, I made a cast, and at once 

 hooked another salmon about the same size as the one which 

 had just unhooked. On realizing that my fish was on, with 

 a slight jerk I fastened the hook, in order to play him ginger- 

 ly if he wanted to " gallivant and cavort" some. Two or three 

 times he revealed his enormous size and great symmetry, so 

 that I felt quite sure I had hooked the mate of the first one. 

 This also remained half an hour trying small tricks about the 

 pool, when all at once he dashed away across the curi-ent, 

 and, on rising to the surface, I distinctly saw the line wound 

 three times round him. After this he plunged and leaped 

 up, down, and across tlie river, until he liberated liimself, and 



