The particulars of the disaster to Mr. Dide and what led up to it were brief:
"I hooked a vewy big twout—he would have weighed ten pounds——"
"No, no, Mr. Dide——" interrupted the Major.
"Pon honah!"
"The speed with which you have become proficient as a fisherman is something marvellous, Mr. Dide. Ten-pounders in this water are not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant."
"Weally, he was twice as big as the one we hooked this mawning——"
"Then he must have weighed not quite three pounds, Mr. Dide. The only sure way is to catch your fish and weigh him on the scales."
"Major! Major! think of the penalty provided against that sort of wit."
"It was not so intended, I assure you, my boy."
"But, weally, he must have weighed moah than thwee pounds, Majah, he was so big and he smashed the pole, you know! I hooked him, and he stwuggled violently for a gweat while, and when I sought to pull him out the pole bwoke; he lay on the watah and I sought to secuah him by going in myself and catching him in my hands; it was vewy cold, 'pon honah; he moved away and I followed him into a hole, but he eluded me."