432 



RECREATION. 



"Well, Brissette, I don't know but 

 you are more than half right. If you will 

 rig up a chub for me your way, we'll try 

 our luck with him." 



"Non, non, mon cher ami! Brissette 

 mak' it de boat go long sof and easy lak. 

 He no feesh. Nous ne comprcnons pas 

 for mak dat wheel machine go on dat 

 leetly feedle steeck." 



"Oh! You may row the boat just the 

 same and I will use the rod and reel. I 

 cnly want you to get the chub and put him 

 on the hook for me your way." 



"I no lak it dat way, me. I go on de 

 store for melasses and de docteur he come 

 and he say, 'Brissette, I go for 'longe las' 

 w ek. I a n't get one. For how you feex 

 it de bait on de hook for catch him?' De 

 ministaire he say, 'Brissette, for how you 

 coax de 'longe? I feesh, one, 2, 3 tarn, and 

 don't see 'longe at all.' De Heenglishmans 

 in village he ver' smart ; he know every 

 tings. He say, 'Brissette, we go feesh 

 wid you some tarn, some day, noder day.' 

 Brissette no keep it de school ; Brissette 

 he no go !" 



"Very well, Brissette, I wi 1 adopt .your 

 method. You rig up a bait your way, and 

 on our way back I will do just as you 

 direct." 



"Rain look mos' gon' by. I go on de 

 brook for 10, 15 minutes; den you come 

 on de boat." 



The time had passed, the rain had ceased, 

 the air was refreshed and agreeabh tem- 

 pered. Meeting at the boat bv appoint- 

 ment, Prisset e exhibited a chub at least 

 1 1 inches long, which he had caught in the 

 brook, . A which he said was to be my 

 bait. 



"Great Scott ! Brissette, you don't mean 

 it ! Why that fish is almost large enough 

 to carry home to stuff and bake. It will 

 frighten any 'longe out of his wits !" 



"You for do my way, hein? Well, Bris- 

 sette acquaint wid dese 'longe and he know 

 what he lak' pour manger for him sup- 

 per." 



While engaged in this conversation, 

 Brissette was mounting the chub. He 

 peeled and sharpened a small sapling with 

 which ne made a perforation from the 

 head along the backbone to the rear of the 

 dorsal fin. Through this he passed a copper 

 wire which he made thoroughly secure to a 

 hook large enough and strong enough to 

 hold a shark. He then withdrew the 

 copper wire until the shank of the hook 

 was drawn into the opening made bv the 

 sapling, and so concealed in the body 

 of the fish. He next passed the point of 

 the hook through the body midway be- 

 tween the dorsal fin and the tail and gave 

 it a twist, or bend, which would cause 

 the chub to revolve when drawn through 

 the water. He then passed the free 

 end of the wire twice through the 



lips, effectually closing the mouth so the 

 bait would move through the water easily 

 and without injury; and finally he con- 

 nected it with the chain of swivels attached 

 to the end of his line. 



He cast the bait thus prepared several 

 times into the water and drew it toward 

 himself to see if it revolved properly while 

 being drawn through the water. Every- 

 thing being satisfactory, Brissette said, 



"We now go for beeg 'longe; we get 

 him for sure." 



"Well, I am glad your courage is good, 

 Brissette ; but I can never get that big 

 line of yours on my reel. What shall 1 

 do?" 



"Hole' heem in your han's. When big 

 'longe eat him and run, let him go, pull 

 heem in, let heem go some more ; bimeby 

 he get ver' tired." 



"Yes, but how do you do when alone? 

 You can't hold the line and row at the 

 same time." 



"Hoi' line in mout'. When 'longe come, 

 stop row, take hoi' on line." 



Diplomacy, persuasion, and importunity 

 were brought to bear, and after a great 

 deal of remonstrance and with evident mis- 

 giving on his part, he at last consented to 

 let me use my rod, reel and line, on the 

 strongest assurance of their strength and 

 •reliability, and that I would be neither dis- 

 pleased nor disappointed if I hooked and 

 then lost the largest 'longe through my 

 own inability or the breaking or failure 

 of my tackle. 



With this concession and understanding, 

 we set out on our return trip. Obeying the 

 instructions of Brissette I paid out only 

 25 or 30 yards of line. We carefully 

 skirted the lily pads, giving special attention 

 to the deep poo's where the water had cut 

 away the banks of the river, and to the 

 darksome reaches of water beneath the over- 

 hanging growth of water brush and other 

 foliage. Mile on mile we slowly covered, 

 with expectation constantly keyed up to 

 intensest pitch, but all to no purpose. We 

 came in sight of the wide and deep pool 

 at the place of our departure near the end 

 of the rapids without any attack on our 

 leviathan bait. Brissette's volubility had 

 ceased and anxiety was depicted on his 

 countenance. We were gently sweeping 

 around the other side of the pool when I 

 ventured to say, 



"Well, Brissette, it begins to look doubt- 

 ful if your prediction will be fulfilled to- 

 day. The big 'longe don't seem to want 

 to call on the big ch " 



"Hold on, Brissette, hold on! We've 

 struck a snag!" 



Whiz-izz-izz-zz-z went the reel. The 

 fight was on, and we were launched at 

 once into the storm center of exciting 

 sport. 



The mighty fish threw his weight on 



