Year: 1878

Charles ID. Warner tells. in the
March Atlantic" a simple story oil
trout fishing in the Adirondacks. He
is verifying this neglected sporting
region IN these monthly chronicles, and
deals out the facts with most ur.
scrupulous cxactness. 1t is place
where previous hunters have pulled all
the hair and skin off from the deer's
tail The undiscovered lakes are
packed with enormous trout; the water
boils with them. He bearded the
monsters in their den. and caught one
after bard fight Only Luke was
with hin-Mark wasn't wanted tc
stretch the thrilling tail. No matter
about the elaborate rigging and match
less bait. the perilous tramp in dan
gerous wilds and shooting the rapids
the first blank throws the minute study
of all the surroundiDgs-all detailed
with artistic fidelity. but only incident
al. We strike in at the supreme mo.
ment when hook and trout coniunc'
and real fun begins.


The trout, as soon as he felt tht
prick of the hook. was off like shot
and took out the whole of the line
with rapidity that made it smoke


"Give him the buttr shouted Luke


1t is the usual remark in such al
emergency. / gave him the butt and
the trout at once sank to the bottom
and sulked 1t is the most dangerOu,
mood of trout, for you cannot tel
t.& H. a Il IA
little and waited five minutes for him
to reflect. A lightning Of the line en-.
ragged him and he soon developed hi:
tactics. Coming to the surface ht
made straight for the boat. faster :har
l could reel in, and evidently with
hostile intentions.


Look out for him!" cried Luke. a.
he came flying in the air.


! Ievaded him by dropping fiat in the
boat, and when l picked my traps VI
he was spinning across the lake as il
he had new idea; but the liue wa!
still fast. gave him the butt again
thing he seemed to hate, even as q
gift: in a moment the evil minded fish
lashing the water in his rage. wa
coming back again, making straight
for the boat as before. Luke, who wa,
used to these encounters having reaC
of them III the writings Of travellers h,
had accompanied, raised his paddle il
selt-defence. The trout left the watel
about ten feet from the boat and cam,
directly y at me. with flashing eyes anC
his speckled sides flashing like meteor
lodged. as he whizzcd by with vic
ious slap of his tail, and nearly upse
the boat. The line was of course slack
and the danger was that he would en-
tangle it about me and carry away ;
leg This was evidently his game
But | untangled it and only lost s
breast button or two by the swiftly
moving string. The trout plunged int
the water with a kissing sound. anC
went away again with all the line OF
the reel. More butt. More indigna
tion on the part of the captive. The
contest had now been going on for hal
an hour. and l was getting exhausted
We had been back and forth across thu
lake and round and round the lake
what | feared was that the trout would
start up the inlet and wreck us in tn,
bushes. But he had new fancy, anC
began the execution Of manpuvr,
which | had never read of Instead o
coming straight toward me be took /
large circle, swimming rapidly anC
gradually y contracting his orbit. i reele(
in and kept my eye on him. RounC
and round he went narrowing his cir
Gle. l began to suspect the game
which was to twist my head off. WheI
he had reduced the radius of his circl,
to about twenty five feet, he then strucl
q tremendous pace through the water
1t would be false modesty in a sports
man to say that was not equal to th'
occasion Instead of turning around
with him, as he expected. stepped t,
the bow, braced myself aud let the boa
swing. Round went the fish, and rounC
we went like top. / saw a line of Mt
Marcys all round the horizon. The rosy
tint in the west made broad. band o
pink along the sky above the tree-tops
The evening star was perfect circle
of light, hoop of gold in the heavens
We whirled and reeled, and reeled anc
whirled. Twas willing to give the ma
licious beast butt line and all, if h
would only 60 the other way for {
charge.


When l came to myself Luke wa'
gsffing the trout at the boat side. After
We had got him in and dressed him. ht
weighed three-quarters of a pound
Fish always lose by being "got in and
dressed" 1t is best to weigh then
while they are in the water. The orly
real large ODE ever caught got away
with my leader when l first struck him
| He weighed ten pounds.