The Yeoman Adventurer | Page 3

about three
hundred yards from it, stood from two to six feet above the water,
being lowest where a brick bridge carried the road to the village. The
opposite bank was very low, and was fringed in summer with great
masses of reeds and bulrushes, now withered down nearly to nothing,
but still showing the pocket of deep water where the jack had "sploshed
like a sack o' taters." It was opposite the highest part of our bank--the
Hanyards was bounded by the river in this direction--and the bridge
was about one hundred yards down-stream to my left. In a few minutes
a fine dace was swimming in the gap as merrily as the tackle would let
him.
For an hour or more I took short turns up and down the bank, just far
enough from the edge to keep my cork in view. If the jack was there, he
made no sign, and at length my sportsman's eagerness began to flag,
and my eye roamed across the meadows to the church spire, under the
shadow of which life as I could never know it was lilting merrily
northwards. Here I was and here I should remain, like a cabbage, till
Death pulled me up by the roots.
Worthy Master Walton says that angling is the contemplative man's
recreation, and, having had in these later years much to con over in my
mind, I know that he is right. But it is no occupation for a fuming man,
and as I marched up and down I forgot all about my cork, till, with a
short laugh that had the tail of a curse in it, I noted that a real gaff was a
silly weapon with which to cut down an imaginary Highlander, and
turned again to my angling.
And at that very moment a thing happened the like of which I had

never seen before, and have not since seen in another ten years of
fishing. My rod was jerked clean off the bank, and careered away
down-stream so fast that I had to run hard to get level with it. Here was
work indeed, and at that joyous moment I would not have changed
places with Jack Dobson. Without ado, I jumped into the river, waded
out, recovered the butt of my rod, and struck.
"As big as a gate-post." Joe was right. As I struck, the jack came to the
surface. The great stretch of yellow belly and the monstrous length of
vicious snout made my heart leap for joy. I would rather land him than
command a regiment. My rod bent to a sickle as I fought him, giving
him line and pulling in, again, again, and again. A dozen times I saw
the black bars on his shimmering back as he came at me, evil in his
red-rimmed eyes and danger in his cruel teeth, but the stout tackle
stood it out. Sweat poured off my forehead though I was up to the waist
in ice-cold water. Inch by inch I fought my way to the bank, and then
fought on again to get close to the bridge, where I could scramble out.
Probably I was half an hour in getting him there, but at last, by giving
him suddenly a dozen yards of loose line to go at, I was able to climb
on to the bank and check him before he got across to the stumps of the
reeds. But here I met with disaster, for in climbing up I jerked the hook
of my gaff out of my collar, where I had put it for safety, and it fell into
the stream.
"Stick to the fish," said some one behind me, "and leave the hook to
me."
"Thanks," said I briefly, for I was scant of breath, and continued the
struggle.
A woman knelt on the bank, pulled the gaff in with a riding whip,
plunged down a shapely hand and recovered it. Then she stood behind
me, watching the fight. The jack, big and strong as he was, began to tire,
and soon I had him making short, sharp spurts in the shallow water at
our feet.
My new ally stood quietly on the bank, holding the gaff ready for the

right moment. It came: a deft movement, a good pull together, and the
great jack curled and bounced on the bank.
"Over thirty pounds if he's an ounce!" I cried gleefully.
"Well done, fisherman!" she said. "It was a splendid sight. I've watched
you all along. When you jumped into the river, I thought you were
going to drown yourself. You had been walking up and down in a most
desperate and dejected fashion."
The raillery gave me courage to look into her eyes. I wondered if they
were black, but decided