Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-02-28

alder. He wrenched it free-the gut
would have held the sea serpent-and
the three nameless insects fell into the
water in lump. with large piece of
green leaf garnishihg the tail of the
hornet. / suggested 10 George that he
should take it off. and George answered
that it didn't matter Three times
more he hurled the flies at the unof-
Tending water, like Zeus hurting a
thunderbolt. and then another fish rose
to him. but missed the flies. George
chucked his menagerle at it and hooked
it. 1t had taken the hornet.
l stood and watched George for an
hour on that creamy June morning,
when the water was In beautiful con-
dition and the fish were on the feed
although 1 would not have waited one
minute of it to look ut the finest fisher
living. He ratified his flies on the
water; he churneG the still pool into
foam; he Knocked at is as if it was the
closed door and he the five foolish
virgins: he struck it as with rhinoc-
eroshide whip; he beat it; he logged
it: he banged it; he slapped it; he did
everything but fish it. The unn1mable
insects flew this way and that through
the astonished air. They swooped on
to the water like cruel hawks, or lions
springiEg at unsuspecting fawns, but
what made it worse was that George
caught fish. He caught many heavy
fish.
For two days George continued to
catch many heavy fish. and | was seri-
ouSly thinking of writing to the "Eield'
about him. illustrating my article with
photographs OF the water as the flies
o,tp hn nd Will
tracings of the flies themselves. The
first day he caught thirty-five fish, and
the second day forty-one. Then the
end came. No man can catch good
baskets of fish without wishing TO
catch better. and Georges evil genius
prompted him to practice fishing with
somewhat lighter hand. After dinner
that night we were smoking on the
lawn and George brought out his fish
ing rod and asked us to show him how
we cast without making such splash
If he mastered the rudiments of fish
ing, it seemed to him not unreasonably
that if to his unquestionable genius for
catching fish there was added art. he
would at once rise to position which
had never yet been attained. SO. until
it grew quite dark, George made the
quiet air hideous with the blue-bOttle,
the hornet and the tortoiSe-Shell but
terf1y.
Next morning he fished steadily from
breakfast time to lunch, and caught
nothing The fish were on the rise for
a full hour and half that morning,
and Tom and l both caught fair lot.
At lunch George was morOSe, and in
Weighed against Art, saying that Ma
ture was the only guide, and that he
would go back to his state OF inno-
cence and ignorance. SO all that bImy
afternoon he fished as no man but he
had ever fished before; his flies fell
heavily in n lump. and cruelty and vim
distively beat upon the stream, yet
no fish rose. The secret was gone.
For two more days he perseyered,
and even now. though he fishes we'll,
sometimes the sweet madness of the
secret comes ON him again. and he
hurls large flies at the tender trout,
but without result. The secret Is ire
trievably lost.
I do not attempt to explain Georges
secret. Whether the fish were all mad,
or whether they were so much sur
prised that in mere absence OF mind
they rose at Georges thunderous at
tack, | do not know l can only state
that for those two days they rose at
him like enc man, when, to judge by
all we know about the habits or nsn,
they ought to have hidden themselves
under stones until the tempest was
overpast In any case their conduct Tor
these two days only confirms my opln-
ion of the Euphrates trout, that you
can get quite exceptional fishing among
them.-E. f. Benson, author OF "Dodo,'
in The Sketch.