what?” I exclaimed, without having time even to look up at her.
“The butt! the butt!” she cried, almost breathlessly. “I know that's right! I read how Edward Everett Hale did it in the Adirondacks.”
“No, it wasn't Hale at all,” said I, as I jumped about the bank; “it was Mr. Murray.”
“Well, it was one of those fishing ministers, and I know that it caught the fish.”
“I know, I know. I read it, but I don't know how to do it.”
“Perhaps you ought to punch him with it,” said she.
“No! no!” I hurriedly replied, “I can't do anything like that. I'm going to try to just pull him out lengthwise. You take hold of the pole and go in shore as far as you can and I'll try and get hold of the line.”
Euphemia did as I bade her, and drew the line in so that I could reach it. As soon as I had a firm hold of it, I pulled in, regardless of consequences, and hauled ashore an enormous cat-fish.
“Hurrah!” I shouted, “here is a prize.”
Euphemia dropped the pole, and ran to me.
“What a horrid beast!” she exclaimed. “Throw it in again.”
“Not at all!” said I. “This is a splendid fish, if I can ever get him off the hook. Don't come near him! If he sticks that back-fin into you, it will poison you.”
“Then I should think it would poison us to eat him,” said she.
“No; it's only his fin.”
“I've eaten cat-fish, but I never saw one like that,” she said. “Look at its horrible mouth! And it has whiskers like a cat!”
“Oh! you never saw one with its head on,” I said. “What I want to do is to get this hook out.”
I had caught cat-fish before, but never one so large as this, and I was actually afraid to take hold of it, knowing, as I did, that you must be very careful how you clutch a fish of the kind. I finally concluded to carry it home as it
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