A FISHING STORY

New Zealand Tablet, 16 September 1909, Page 1477

A FISHING STORY

Fishermen have an unenviable notoriety for the careless manner in which they deal with facts and figures, and hence it is that some of the Tablet readers will be inclined to doubt a wonderful fishing story told by a resident ot Calcutta. During his vacation, a resident of Calcutta, Mr. Walker, determined to go fishing on the Hoogly River. Fishing with hook and line is not common in India, and, as a matter of precaution, in case large game should bo encountered, Walker was accompanied by a native carrying a rifle. The fisherman placed himself by the shore of the" river, on the edge of a jungle, and' dropped his hook — a very large one, as he was looking for large fish — into the stream. In due time he had a bite, and with great effort landed a fish, which weighed about 401 b. Without detaching the hook from the mouth of the fish, he was making his way with it to a spot more suitable for its disposition, when he saw a big tiger coming down the ravine. The tiger had not caught sight of him, and by a quick movement Walker was able to conceal himself behind some rocks. But, in his haste, the still living fish wriggled out of his grasp, and with the hook still in its mouth slipped down into the path. The tiger, which had stopped to look toward some possible prey in the jungle, now abandoned that quest and came directly down the path. As he did so the fish flopped on the ground before him. Now, a tiger is as fond of fish as any other kind if cat, and as reluctant to enter the water in pursuit i f them. To find a big, live fish right in his path in the jungle was therefore great luck for the wild beast. He pounced upon it with eagerness, and in an instant, with his paws on the ground, was chewing the fish's head. In another instant he was clawing the ground with howls of pain and rage. He had imbedded the big hook firmly in his jaw. The Englishman had a tiger on his line ! Mr. Walker was now seized with the idea that he could capture the tiger as easily as he had captured the fish. He began to ' play ' the beast at the end of the line, as if he had been a trout or a salmon. In the midst of it, however, he indiscreetly let the tiger oatch sight of him. With a howl the tiger prepared to spring upon the Englishman, and probably he would have made short work of him, in spite of the hook in his jaw, if the native had not at that moment come up with the rifle and skilfully put a bullet through the animal's heart.