The Topeka state journal., 1899-07-04
KIPLING,s FISH STORY.

In Forest and Stream A. N. Cheney.
one of Americas foremost authorities
on game fish and fly fishing, takes a
mild fling at Rudyard Kipling. The ac-
curacy of Mr.. Kipling's detail in de-
scribing subjects innumerable and Of
vastly differing fields has rarely been
questioned, but in this instance the
writer, upon first glance at least, ap-
pears to be placed upon the horns Of a
dilemma. In his contribution to the
Forest and Stream. Mr.. Cheney says:
Last season while fishing for salmon
in the RestigOuche, the conversation
turned one evening to the Pacific salmon
and a gentleman present made the
statement that he would wager $4,000
that he could go to a Pacific coast
stream and kill Pacific salmon in the
same manner that he had that day
killed Atlantic salmon with the fly in
the ResuigOuche, and thought when he
made the statement that he could do
exactly as he said. The wager was not
for the purpose of making money, as he
explained, but he wished to be assured
if he succeeded of sufficient return to
pay the expense Of the trip, for he would
go simply to decide the matter Tor IL
was generally understood that Pacific
salmon would not take the fly. One OF
the first stories I ever heard in relation
to Alaska after the purchase was made
by this country was of the old Scotch
admiral who said; Let the Yankees
have the blank country; the salmon VIII
not rise to the f1ee.'
From that time until this have not
heard of Pacific salmon being taken
with the fly Except that possibly Ad-
miral Beardslee did write me that he
killed a fish or so when he was in Alas
ka with the jamestown, but of this I
am not sure now, although I know OF
a number of efforts in this direction
one by a we'll known eastern salmon
fSherman-until a Few days ago some
one left on my desk a copy of kipIlg'S
American Notes. andI opened the book
to find that Kipling has been successfuI
in killing Pacific salmon with the fly.
Twice I read the chapter to make sure
that my eyes had not deceived me, but
he states clearly and positively that his
salmon were killed on the fly.
There is no mistaking that Kipling
is a fisherman. The chapter to which
I refer begins: 7 have lived! The Amer
lean continent may now sink under the
sea, for 1 have taken the best that lI
yields and the best was neither dollars
nor real estate The best that it yields
was a Chinook salmon, or several OF
them and how the salmon were killed
is told as perhaps only k1pllng can ten
it First his companion California let
the gaudy fly drop in the tail of riff
fle. I was betting my rod together
reel and the yells of California, and then
three feet of living silver leaped into the
air far across the water
There is no mistake about the fly in
this case or in the next. Kipling's own:
I went into that ice-cOld river and
made my cast just above the weir.
The next cast-oh, the pride of 1t, the
regal sDIendor of it! The thrill that
ran down from fingertip to toe! Then
the water boiled. He broke for the fly
and got it. There remained enough
sense in me to give him all he wanted
when he jumped not once but twenty
times before the upstream flight that
ran my line out to the last half dozen
turns and I saw the nickeled reel-bar
glitter under the thinning green coils. My
thumb was burned deep when 1 Strove
to stopper the line. did not feel it till
later, for my soul was out in the dane
ing weir praying for him to turn ere
he took my tackle away. And my pray
er was heard AS [ bowed back, the butt
of the rod on my left hip bone and the
top joint dipping like unto a weeping
willow he turned and 1 accepted each
inch of slack that I could by any means
get in as a favor from on high. There
lie several sorts of successes in this
world that taste well in the moment OF
enjoyment, but I question whether the
stealthy theft of line from an ablebOdted
salmon who knows exactly what you
are doing and why you are doing IL IS
not sweeter than any other victory
within human scope
There is much more of this told IN
inirnitable style before the salmon IS
finally landed by being thrown on the
banks by the hands of the fisherman
for KiDling would not have the fish
gated but finally the fish is killed and
Kiplng sings praises to him: The beau
ty, the darling the daisy, my salmon
Bahadur weighing twelve pounds, and
have been seven and thirty minutes
lightly hooked on the angle of the right
Jaw, and the hook had not wearied him.
That hour I sat among princes and
crowned heads greater than them all