Oh apt. iv. a Hinc illce lacrymcB." 37 



once had clearly proved to me. My spoon bait which was 

 nearly new, and for weight's sake unusually stout, and 

 in thorough repair when I cast it in for a spin, was doubl- 

 ed right in two, and crumpled up like a piece of paper, 

 when I landed my fish, and took it out of his mouth. He 

 must have happened to catch it edgewise in his mouth as 

 it spun, and thus been able to exert his strength on it; 

 for had it not been exactly edgewise on, it would have 

 turned and slipped away from his jaw as he pressed it, 

 and got flat in his mouth. Probably few fish get a fair 

 bite at a spoon at the very angle of the spoon in the very 

 part of the mouth required to produce such an effect on 

 such a hard substance; the chances must be much against 

 it, and that would account for my having seen such a re- 

 sult but once. But once seen there was no longer room 

 for doubt about the power of the fish; the spoon was 

 whole and sound when cast in, was cast in deep water 

 clear of rocks, was not run against anything by him, for 

 it was well inside his mouth when I took it out directly 

 he was landed. Had I tried to produce the same effect, 

 it would have required a good downright blow, with a 

 hammer and anvil to help me. I then bethought me of 

 the spoon of a friend which was thinner than mine, and 

 which was much indented as I had thought at the time 

 by rocks. I bethought me too of the many hooks I had 

 lost unintelligibly; I knew I had a light hand acquired 

 by killing trout on fine tackle, and yet treble hook after 

 treble hook had been smashed, sometimes before I had 

 felt my fish at all. The murder was out; they had been 



