The Bossier banner., 1914-10-22
SCARED BY A FISH.
Or Maybe It Was a New Species
of Inland Sea Monster.
A VISION IN RED EAGLE LAKE.

Angler Admits That, Nor Bear, Nor
Shark, Though 1t Did Look Like a
Dog, but Anyhow and Luckily It Got
Away.
In camp on Red Eagle lake In the
Glacier National park, devonred by
mosquitoes as big as cultures. us fierce
as tigers and as numerous as drops OF
water in the Pacific ocean!
This is bad beginning for fish
story The language seems to suggest
that the narrator has already become
unreliab ble 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 - TN
adorned. unexaygerated fact. | could
not have dreamed it. l cannot even
now that have begun to put pen to
paper hope to tell it in such II way as
to bring the scene with realizing ear
nestness before the eye of my brother
anglers.
1t was evening. was on the lake
alone in my little canvas boat The
fishing had been good | was return
ing to camp satisfied. The sack of fish
my fishing kit. discarded tackle. tho
net. etc.s lying at the bottom of the
boat. it seemed safer to leave the rod
to poke out over the stern. the flies
trailing the Waterfront Of mischief. as
| thought. where they could not get
tangled with any of the truck
So 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 Ut mind not to
make a forward dart and grab for it
as it disappeared. Such violent move
ment would undoubtedly have col
lapsed my collapsibIe boat ! sat in
speechless nuIazement. too startled for
thought
And then close by mighty splash
ting :lntl plunging. ! turned and saw
on the top of the w!,ter something
| swimming. red brown head aud
shoulders was frightened. 1t was
so huge.
thought of 4 bear. Ut u shark. and
stories of sea monsters flashed through
thy mind. The thing was swimming.
| slowly What | could see Of 1t look
ed for all the world like the head of ii
magnificent St Bernard dog used t"
| Gwl.
| Then came to myself. realized that
| this was fish of a species not known
| to me and of IN incredible. unheard of
size He had taken my fly. had hook
ed himself on to the rod which he had
dragged overheard and was swimming
slowly because he was drawing it
along the bottom of the lake
chased him He dived. came up
again with splashiIg like that Of
an elephant in pond and smashed
4 down again Almost could keep up
with him. so slowly did he swim and
SO much time did he waste in bis
frantic efforts to get free.
II had been able to row properly.
facing in direction opposite to the
one in which | was moving. believe
/ could have overtaken him. But
needed to keep my eye on hin. and
50 had to backwater with the oars
losing power at every stroke. was
thinking slowly was still too stun
ned to think normally. | was puzzled
by the fact that such a monster did
not break my frail tackle in mo
ment There was no resistance SO long
as the forty yards Of line continued
to unwind or the rod to move easily
through the water.
AS often as he swung over and drop
ped down on the six foot leader 1t 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. have
at 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 | have no other nieaEs uI
guessing at his size and weight
/ Then with the sixth leap and div,
something gave. and the monster wa!
seen no more. l rowed slowly back t.
camp actually unnerved by the adrri,
ture. Literaily-and he who will m;,
laugh ut mel felt afraid to he :,rn,
in the failing evening light. alone nn
piece of water inhabited h, such crea
lures as the one who had pursued nj,
and whom ! had pursued
was glad t6 hear the friendly hai
of my guide from the landing place o
logs which we had constructed. to SCI
the glare of the campfire and to sniff
the smell Of supper. Then ! r'".k,,ne.
up my lOss--a rod. $50: Il reel Sl7N
and a four dollar line-neirly Stl
worth of property at the bottom 0
Red Eagle lake!-Rev C. u aked
.. D.. LII. D.. ii, New York American