A GREAT FISH AND A GREATER FISHERMAN 15 
the current I suddenly saw for a second a huge 
silvery fish in the clear, transparent water upon 
which the sun was shining. At the same moment 
the line tightened. " I have him," I said, as the 
line went screeching off the reel. The fish ran 
straight up-stream for about ninety yards, and 
then leaped twice, high into the air. It was by 
far the largest salmon I had ever seen, clean-run 
and glittering like a silver coin fresh from the 
Mint. This first danger safely passed, I gradually 
persuaded him to come back again. C. said, 
" He must be well hooked, and he's a very big 
fish. That fish of 29 lb. which the Major got 
would look quite small beside him." For some 
time after this the fish moved about the pool, but 
made no attempt to run. He then made a violent 
rush of about sixty yards, and lashed about on the 
top of the water, once more showing himself and 
giving us a fair idea of his size. Again I got 
him well under control, and for a considerable 
time he adopted the same tactics as before, 
moving slowly and steadily backwards and for- 
wards at varying depths. I had been thinking 
for some time that perhaps I had been rather too 
easy with him, and that I had not acted on the 
maxim with which, I suppose, almost every salmon 
