The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-09-12
SCARED BY A FISH
Or Maybe 1t Was a New Species
of Inland Sea Monster.
A VISION IN RED EAGLE LAKE.

IL Couldn't Have Been a Dream. the
AnoIer Admits That, Nor Bear, Nor
Shark. Though IL Did Look Like q
Dog, but Anyhow and Luckily II Got
Away.
In camp on Red Eagle lake in the
Glacier National park. devonred by
mosquitoes as big as cultures. as fierce
as tigers and as numerous as drops or
water In the Pacific ocean.
This is a bad beginning for fish
that the narrator has already become
unreliable. AS matter of fact. phrases
which are strictly accurate may be
palpably misleading.
The language of hyperbole Is needed
TO present an adequate picture. Per-
haps the mosquitoes are not quite so
big or fierce or numerous as stated, but
they seem TO be.
/ But to the fish story. And the Ian
guage of vivid metaphor shall be laid
aside. What follows is fact - UNI
adorned. unexaggerated fact ! could
not have dreamed 1t. l cannot even
now that | have begun TO put pen to
! paper hope TO tell IT in such way as
to bring the scene with realizing ear
] nestness before the eye of my brother
anglers.
1t was evening I was on the lake
alone In my little canvas boat The
7 fishing had been good. i was return
ing to camp satisfied. The sack of fish.
my fishing kit. discarded tackle. the
net, etc.. lying at the bottom of the
! boat, it seemed safer to leave the rod
to poke out over the stern. the flies
trailing the water-out of mischief. as
/ thought, where they could not get
tangled with any of the truck.
So l rowed along gently. happy in
the slaughter / had accomplished and
wishing my friends had been with me
to do their share And the rod shot
over the stern Of the boat before my
! very eyes.
/ had the presence of mind not to
make a forward dart and grab for It
as 1T disappeared Such violent move
ment would undoubtedly have col
lapsed my collapsib,e boat l sat in
speeches. amazement. too startled for
thought
And then close by a mighty splash
J ing and plunging- | turned and saw
on the top Of the water something
swimming. a red brown head and
shoulders I was frightened. 1t was
so huge.
/ thought of bear. of a shark. and
stories OF sea monsters flashed through
my mind. The thing was swimming
slowly. What 1 could see Of II look
ed for all the world like the head Of a
} magnificent St Bernard dog used to
own.
Then L came to myself. 1 realized that
this was a fish OF species not known
to me and OF an incredible. unheard Of
size. He had taken my fiy. had hook
ed himself on to the rod which he had
dragged overheard and was swimming
slowly because he was drawing II
along the bottom OF the lake
chased him He dived. came mp
again with splashing like that of
an elephant in a pond and smashed
down again Almost I could keep up
with him. so slowly did he swim and
so much time did he waste In his
frantic efforts to get free.
If | had been able TO row properly.
facing in direction opposite TO the
one in which I was moving. ] believe
could have oyertaken him. But
needed to keep my eye on him. and
so had to backwater with the oars
losing power at every stroke. ! was
thinking slowly. | was still too stun
ned to think normally. I was puzzled
by the fact that such monster did
: not break my frail Tickle in "a mo
: ment. There was no resistance so long
) as the forty yards of line CONSUMED
to unwind or the rod TO move easily
through the water
AS often as he swung over and drop
ned down on the six foot leader ii sim
ply yielded beneath him Five times
. he rose and the fifth time was quite
: near him He seemed TO be anything
from four feet TO six feet long 1 have
nj home a muskellunge which caught
five years ago in the st. Lawrence
river. He weighed thirty-two pounds
and measures forty-seven inches This
fellow was much bigger and more ter
( rifying. And l have no other means OF
y guessing at his size and weight
z Then with the sixth leap and dive
something gave and the monster was
seen no more rowed slowly back tc
: camp actually Innerved by the adven
ture. LiteralIy-and he who will may
Sc laugh at mel felt afraid 10 be alone
i'm the falling evening light. alone on
. piece of water inhabited by such crea
: lures as the one who had pursued NE
i and whom had pursued
e was glad 10 hear the friendly nal
OF my guide from the landing place Oh
logs which we had constructed. TO SEE
The glare of the campfire and to snin
the smell of supper. Then / reckonet
up my loss rod SD: n reel. Sl1-5O