“Up wi’ the rod, laddie! up wi’ the point o’ your rod, laddie!” cried Tavish excitedly. “She’s cot ta fush—she’s cot ta fush!”
Max obeyed, and raised the point of his rod, and then felt a tremendous tug, which sent an electric shock through him.
“She’s cot him! she’s cot him!” cried Tavish, dancing about on the shore and waving the gaff hook he held. “Noo, my laddie, never let the fush rin without feeling your han’.”
Max heard the forester’s shout, but hardly comprehended his words in the excitement of feeling the fish he had hooked dart here and there from side to side of the black-looking pool, and keeping so tight a line that all at once there was a flash of silver, and a goodly salmon leaped right out of the water and fell with a great splash.
“Ah, she’s gone!” cried Tavish, stamping with rage. “Nay, hold on! Let her rin the noo. An’ dinna catch haud too tight o’ the line.”
Max was too confused to obey his instructions, but, fortunately, he did the right thing. For the fish darted away so furiously that the lad loosed his hold upon the line to a great extent, and contented himself by keeping the hard plait close to the rod, so that it was checked a good deal in running through his hand. But all the same the winch began to sing, as, after two or three more darts, the fish dashed off out of the pool and down the stream.
The checking it received was greater than would have been dealt out by an experienced fisher, and the result was that, after darting down about forty yards, the salmon reached another pool, where, after it had sailed round two or three times, there was a sudden cessation of movement, and a dead weight hung at the end of the line.
“She’s got the line around a stane,” cried Tavish, running over the stepping-stones, gaff in hand. “She’ll lose the fush! she’ll lose the fush.”
“Has it gone?” asked Max rather piteously.
“Let her tak’ a grip o’ the rod, my lad,” said the forester; and, catching the long supple wand from the boy’s hand, he stood thinking for a few moments winding in a few yards of the line.