Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-31

the meshes. 1t was the chance of looms lifetime.
Flashing downward, he darted this way and that
satcally among the frantic prisoners, transXing half
a dozen in succession to make of them, before
he seized big trout for his immediate meal Grip
ping the victim savagely in his BILL he santed toward
the surface-and plunged into slack blight of the
net.
Luckily for him. he was within foot of the air be-
fore he struck the decetful meshes Carried by the
impetus of his rush, he bore the net upward with him.
and emerged into the full In the shock of his
prise he dropped the fish, and at the time guped
his lungs full of fresh air For perhaps half minute
he thrust and tapped and tore furously expecting to
break through the elusive obstacle which yielded SO
freely that he could get no hold upon it, yet always
thrust him back with but memorable persistence
At length realizing himself foiled in this direction he
sank downward like stone, thinking to back out of
the blight of the net down with him. refusing
to be left In his struggles he had completely enmeshed
himself.
And now probably for the very first time in not
uneventul life the great loon lost his head He began
to fight bindly overwhelmed by panic terror Plung-
ing kicking beating with half fettered WINGS striking
with his beak in semi parayzed fashion because he had
not to stretch his neck to its full length he
soon utterly exhausted Moreover, he was more than
half drowned. At last, dimness coming over the
golden amber light, he gave up in despair. With
feeble desparng stroke of his webbed feet he strove
to get back to the surface Happily for him, the net
in this direction not relentless 1t yielded without
too much resistance and the hopelessy entanged prs
to the top. Lying there in the meshes, he
could at least draw breath
WHEN, little later in the day, he saw boat ap
w preaching up the lake, with two of the dreaded
creatures in it, he gave final mighty struggle
which lashed the water into foam and sent the i'm
prsoned fish into fresh paroxysms, and then with the
stocism that of the wild creatures can display
in the moment of supreme and hopeless peril, he lay
quite still, eying the foe defanty.
One of the beings in the boat that same lanky
youth whose attempt to shoot the loon had been such
conspicuous failure. The other the anky youths
father, the pioneer himself At sight of the trussed up
captive the youth shouted exultantly:
Its that durn loon, what's eatn all the fish in the
lake. I'll fix his fishin'! and lifting his from the
thole pins he raised it to strike the helpless bird
Don't be SIGH fool, Zeb" interrupted the father
yen git more money for that bird alive, down to
Fredericton, than all the fish in the nets worth.
loon like that amt common He's beauty
The youth dropped his and leaned over to snatch
up the prize But he jumped back with alacrity as
his father snapped, Look out"
What for?" he demanded rather sheepishly.
why, replied the older man, hell stick you like
pig, with that knife beak of his'n if we don't look
sharp. Reach me yer jacket. Well wrap up his head
till we kin git him clear O the net"
The youth obeyed. Helpless1y swathed in the heavy
homespun jacket, whose strong man-sne enraged and
daunted him, the great bird disentangled from the
net and lifted into the boat Laughng1y the father
passed the bundle along the gunwale to his son.
But swathing powerful bird in