The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-08-27
q. ~ him through ths rapids-no land

hks him through ths rapids-no land
ing-place her"
That the fish viii take Us mp on som,
| Of the neighboring hills seems fully q,
probable. but the effort must be made
The canoe ID run into m eddy, ther
showed into the quick water, and down
we 90, bounding like . cork over thu
waves at the mercy Of the fierce cur
rent.
| The fish follows quietly, as though hs
liked it; but no. hehas changed his mind
he dashes down stream and ObliQuely
across it with the speed Of . race-horse,
at least it seems so, for the whizzins
line trends in that direction. But whal
is that? Away up above MS and hall
across the river q salmon bolts into the
air. ibid you see that, Tom? Wen 20
for that fellow when we finish with this
one" How Tom laughs-and it is not
without protracted effort that he finally
forces us to believe that that was the
fish we are fast to. It is so very far of,
and in SO different direction from that
indicated by the bending rod and the
running line, that it seems impossible
that it can be so, though so it is.
So the canoe drops down with the
swift current, hating at times as the
fish becomes very obstreperous. and
then resummg its course. And the sal
mon follows. sometimes freely, some
times reluctantly, and sometimes in
absolute rebellion. compelling as to let
him have his own way for time. We
near q landing-place. The canoe Il
brought to the bank, and we take to the
shore, with every precaution that the
pressure is not slackened upon the line
for an instant, and that the foot makes
NO slip on the smooth stones.
But clearly he is now of the mind that
this thing has gone quite far enough,
for he is as immovable as the everlast-
ing hills Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes
pass, and it is still s'pull Dick, pull
devil Our arms now ache a. though
they would drop of at the elbow joint.
s'Stone him, Tom. Do something.
can't stand this any longer" So Tom
tosses in stone after stone, none of them
large. and none of them thrown with
violence. lest they strike and part the
leader-seemingly without effect.
At last the reel begins to move. L
speaks slowly at first, like the pendulum
Of clock; you can count the tooth q
each rachet-wheel by the sound; Then
faster. faster, till again it screams and
the line willis away from the reel Ike
dew before the sun.
'Qulck! the canoe! the canoer' and
we shamble down the bank, one eve ON |
the vanishing line, and one upon the
slippery path we are forced to follow.
At last at the very crisis Of possible de- |
leat the canoe reaches us. We tumble |
%. and are of after . fish apparently Is
resh - 1T the very outset For another
we fight him from the canoe,
working him down stream, he running,
and sulking, until we land
again on the other side of the stream
hree- quarters Of . mile below where we
irst took to the bank.
We again try to work him in BY the
'ame tactics. but our first effort comes
Q : stand Ct once He begins to zig"
a series OF short heavy. and sudden
efn flls u with apprehension. and il
3 plain We must wait his pleasure still.
10 stops. and we begin. He begins,
md We stop. At last he yields, and |
Zradually step BY step swings in toward
he bank; Slowly Tom approaches.
yah in hand, no part Of him IN motion
Except his feet The salmon Is now
,retty sick fish, and again and again
oils upon his side, though recovering
himself almost Immediately. He SEES
Tom. At once he RECEIVERS, and Is "a
gain But the pristine vigor Of his
ush il NO longer there. he can taka
10 more than half the line before |