The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-01-18
Battle With a Salmon.
Father Macle0d's Contest In Newfound.
land Waters.

would take the eight ounce rod and
a pair Of favorite flies. and slip down
to the river, and before half-hour
had elapsed he would be back with
the midday meal still sQuirming in
the creel.
Now. on this particular day, as
the sturdy father related, he reached
for the tough, reliable rod from its
place on his wall, and, clad lightly in
collarless shirt and dark pantaloons,
his feet incased in thin slippers, he
strobe easily and vigorously down the
slope that led to Salmonier. A cup
Of coffee. a single slice Of toasted
bread and a mere radish had sufficed
for his morning meal. for his appe-
tite had lain dormant for the while,
and he had somehow a mind to the
spiritual more than to the CASTRO
nomic that morning.
1t was nearly 9 o'clock when ne
whirled the fly around over an under
hanging bush at the banks edge, and
as lightly as shadow the lure
touched the network of foam that
eddied there. A rush, an infection
of the trained wrist, and the trout
| was hooked. Here and there It dart
ed, leaped, dove and sulked, rose and
fenced for the liberation of the barb.
But Macleod's practised hand, refus-
| ing an inch of slack, soon conquered
the glittering prey. Slowly he guided
\ it to the shadows next to the shore,
and transferred it to his creel on the
grassy declivity that rose up towards
the cottage above him.
| A second cast, and another trout
struck and was played and landed.
They weighed together about five
pounds. Enough and to spare,
said his reverence. He stood In the
sunlight. now and then checkered
with rowing cloud lines, and watched
the rivers surface, wrinkled at inter-
walls by crawling winds. and drank in
the primeval and wilderness sweep
of it all with a hungry eye for its
beauty.
He looked at the remaining fly.
1t was a salmon fly. Again he unused
but this time his thoughts roved to
something more than the loneliness
Of stream and cloud, Of wind woven
rifle and gliding sunshine.
I'm wonder" he said, "now I Won
der if it be that the salmon can have
lying over there
He tied the salmon fly on an(
: made a wide and free untrammelle(
cast over the churning waters where
they met at the angle of most resis
| lance: and I promise you salmon
worthy Of the kings own rod strucl
, it as swiftly and tenaciously as /;
; feathered arrow from an aboriginal
bow might pierce the shoulder of thu
towering reindeer.
Here was no comparatively insight
? ficant weight of souare-jawed brOol
trout; nor rush and volt of voyagin!
7 sea trout, either. Here was the mon
I arch of waters, the salmon himself
} stung by an inch or so of steel, cheat
5 ed by a fash of shimmering tinsel
t hooked, held for a second by that in
/ stinctive wrist motion of Macleod
but up into the air with curve o
pictured silver, and down with
? sullen plash that meant a challeng
to the priestly angler. Macleod wa
no ordinary man, either in spirit o
, physique. Six feet in height, his gra
locks floating back in the mOrnin
! wind, and framing head and fac
e Of Beethoven like ruggedness, he di
: not hesitate an instant as to hi
l course.
a Into the water ! went, man. h
!, said, the light of reminiscent battl
+, glinting in his eyes as he spoke, IAN
g the first thing I lost was my lei
q slipper. l kicked the other of t
feel comfortable" he continued, IAN
y the fight was on
/ There was never such gladiatc
t before nor since, he told me. A hui
y Ord times he believed the great ifs
: had escaped; hundred times he ha
y believed the steady strain of rot
e reel and barb had conquered th
:. champion of the inland waters. B,
d the hours sped and the contest We
e not yet at an end.
r MY blood was up" Macleod SAID
# "a fair field and no favor" When
n States fisherman who came by fro
= the upper waters offered to have h
l. boatman help with the gaff. l shu'
g der to think how near to swearir
y wos Maclond IL indeed he ever