San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-27
es, AsRooK's TROUT.
He Caught It in a Rocky Mountain Stream
and Got Several Pointers.

and Got Several Pointers.
Now l am fast becoming an expert fisher
man. Badly told me was the best anna
teur he had ever seen. He made the same
remark TO Foss and Davis, but in my case
| think he meant it, because it tallies so
well with my own opinion. 81 was not
ever thus" ! started along the shore
dangling my line and waited results. I
kept this up for an hour or more without
seeing the sign of fish and began to think
the whole thing colossal bore The round
powders under foot rendered walking as
awkward us first attempt at roller s6at-
ing; the process, in fact, was very similar
was constantly obliged TO take high
and erratic steps TO keep from falling.
Suddenly when | was least prepared, a
speckled streak shot up from some mys.
terious depth and darted at my line.
was very much surprised indeed. had
oever seen anything SO quick A streak
OF lightning was u messenger boy com.
pared to It. The whole performance was
totally unexpected | ierked back the pole
with the energy born of an electric shock;
the action was just as involuntary; it wa,
muscular contraction-I might say gas
vanic could no more have kept tina,
pole down than could have kept my fee,
in scalding water. OF course lost ms
balance and would have slid into the river
had not my fish line become entangled In
a clump of willows which prevented the
catastrophe But the episode rekindled
line and try it again.
spent the next half hour trampling
bushes, untying Gordian knots and swear
ing. At length the hook swung free and
tossed it into the stream. Scarcely had 1t
touched the surface when there came that
speckled shiver through the water and the
same spasmodic action on my part. II
was a species of surprise party | never
could get used to. AS luck would have it
| hooked the fish, but had jerked his back
teeth out together with the hook. But his
momentum landed him on the shore, when
he proceeded to flap himself back into the
river, To prevent this pounced on him
with all four feet Then ensued death
struggle never before witnessed. Ne rolled
over and over each other. Fifty times got
hiplock on him. onlyto have him wriggle
from my grasp.
Finally from sheer exhaustion we both
lay still | clutched him by the tail q
have since learned that this is not the
proper end by which to hold fish,. What
to do with the little rascal, now that pos
sessed him, was a new problem. | did not
like to put him in my pocket, nor yet in
my boot leg finally concluded to cut
off piece of my fish line for string and
tie him to the end of it. This accom-
plished and proceeded on my way-that is
to say, went balancing over the powders,
making wild and impromptu gestures that
would have set Delsarte crazy. failed
that fish against the side of the mountains:
| banged him on the rocks; dragged him
through thickets until he lost all resem
blance TO the original trout. In one hours
time he looked like IA shetland smelt like
the devil
'Iaings were again growing monotonous,
when a new person appeared upon the
scene He was ranchman's boy come
down ont of the mountains to fish. He
had holes in the toes of his boots-this cir
cumstance ! subsequently recalled He
carried small gunnysack under his left
arm; his fishing rod was a willow pole, to
which was attached a cotton string He
had several grasshoppers in a match box.
one of which be fastened to his hook. It
was evident he had no hy--in fact there
ments with deep interest. Without hest.
tating moment be waded into the river
and commenced TO throw his line first to
one side and then the other. It seemed to
me he caught trout every time his hook
touched water. 1t was wonderful. The
little fish he would pull TO him without
much ceremony The two FOUNDERS he
would sometimes fool with for several
minutes and finally haul them in as
2ocile as lambs All the hsh he caught
we're put into the gunnysack.
/ gazed at him green with envy till he
disappeared around the bend, and then
proceeded to initiate his example If it
was only necessary to wade into the river
and slash right and left |, too, would
catch trout So ''accoutred as | was
plunged in" The first step made went
in over my boot tops, Alas! there were no
holes in the toes; they were water tight
Except oyer the tops) and each boot held
four gallons. was simply water logged,
| couldn't mOve-or rather couldn't help
moving. That wild dashing river had been
aching for something upon which to ex.
pend it's wasted energies. In less time
than it takes TO tell it was converted into
an undershot wheel and went rolling over
and over.
How under heaven managed TO houn.
der out | cannot tell, but | did get out
was two miles from camp and could never
hope to get there under such an hydraulic
pressure. | would fain take off my boots,
but they declined TO bulge. ! had not
stood on my head for years and could not
accomplish such gymnastics, handicapped
as was. Yet the idea was Il good one, SO
| compromised by lying with my heels up
hill, while the water oozed out of me-
seemingly at every pore. My rod and hat