d up the rod.

The rapid was strong but deep, so that nothing obstructed me till I
reached the lower end, when a rock caught my legs and threw me into a
horizontal position, with the rod flat on the water. I was thrown
against the bank, where my Norwegian boy was standing mouth open, eyes
blazing, and hand extended to help me out.

When I stood panting on the bank, I found that the fish was still on and
still inclined to descend, but I found that I could not follow, for my
legs were heavy as lead--the boots being full of water. To take the
latter off in a hurry and empty them was impossible. To think of losing
the fish after all was maddening. Suddenly a happy thought struck me.
Handing the rod to the boy I lay down on my back, cocked my legs in the
air, and the water ran like a deluge out at the back of my neck! Much
relieved, I resumed the rod, but now I found that the fish had taken to
sulking.

This sulking is very perplexing, for the fish bores its nose into some
deep spot below a stone, and refuses to budge. Pulling him this way and
that way had no effect. Jerking him was useless. Even throwing stones
at him was of no avail. I know not how long he kept me there, but at
last I lost patience, and resolved to force him out, or break the line.
But the line was so good and strong that it caused the rod to show
symptoms of giving way.

Just then it struck me that as there were several posts of an old weir
in the middle of the stream, he must have twisted the line round one of
these, broken himself off and left me attached to it! I made up my mind
therefore to wade out to the old weir, and unwind the line, and gave the
rod to the boy to hold while I did so.

The water was deep. It took me nearly up to the neck before I reached
the shallow just above the posts, but, being thoroughly wet, that did
not matter.

On reaching the post, and unwinding the line, I found to my surprise
that the fish was still there. At first I thought of letting go the
line, and leaving the boy to play him; "but," thought I, "the boy will
be sure to lose him," so I held on to the line, and played it with my
hands. Gradually the fish was tired out. I drew him slowly to my side,
and gaffed him in four feet of water.

Even then I was not sure of him, for when I got him under one arm he
wriggled violently, so that it was difficult to wade ashore with him.
In this difficulty I took him to a place where the shoal in the middle
of