Part 43 (2/2)

RUN DOWN DURING A SQUALL

On the way back to New Bedford, Colin begged for the 'sword' of the swordfish as a trophy, and, periven, one of the boat to clean and polish it so that the weapon would show to best advantage Dr Jihout the trip, and his fellow-feeling was greatly increased when he learned that the boy also was a holder of the blue tuna button, for he hiler

”I' himself down for a chat as the schooner sailed quietly on its way to New Bedford, with a dropping wind, ”and I believe that the steelhead trout, in the streah the redwood forests, are the finest fish alive”

”I thought the rainbow trout was supposed to have the call,” said Colin; ”at least, Father always declares so, and he goes up to the Klaae, up to twenty pounds soht in a steelhead”

”What's the Dolly Varden?” Colin queried ”I never can get the various kinds of trout clear in my mind”

”If you can keep them clear when you have theh, ”that's much more important But a Dolly Varden isn't a trout at all, it's really a char It's a beautiful fish, too, and you find it in cold, clear streams, such as the upper waters of the Sacramento and Alaskan rivers In Alaska it swarms in millions But the most beautiful trout in the country, indeed the most beautiful fish in the world, perhaps, are found in three little streams on the very top of the Sierra Nevada Did they tell you the story, in Washi+ngton, about the three forolden trout?”

”No, Dr Jimson,” the boy replied; ”Dr Craftscame up to turn the conversation”

”I went up on that expedition a few years ago,” the trout-lover said, ”because I've done a good deal of work for the Bureau on the whole salmon family Trout and salo up streams and leap small falls just as the salmon do But, as you can easily see, in the headwaters of streah in the Sierras, there are sure to be falls that trout cannot leap”

”Yes, sir, of course”

”Now, o, it was found out that there were trout in these streams above falls which would be absolutely iet there? It was a riddle The only possible ansas that the fish must be older than the falls, that the stream had worn away its bed, bit by bit, until an impassable barrier froone on in the upper creeks, developing in their oay, for hundreds of centuries

”The rocks over which these streahtly colored, principally gray and red The swiftly-flowing stream removes the debris, so that the clear water flows li In such a stream, where the natural enele, it is essential as a matter of protection that the fish should resely, thein the world is theirs But each of the three small streams that are cut off from the rivers below are also separate fro which this has been so, each of these streams has seen a different coloration develop in the trout All are bright golden, all have orange fins and an orange stripe along the side, all are spotted with black, but they vary in many small particulars Nowhere else in the world but in these three creeks--Volcano Creek, Soda Creek, and Aqua Bonita or Gracious Water Creek--can these fish be found; nowhere else would they retain their gorgeous coloring

”Accordingly, the United States Government sent a party up to the very summit of the Sierra Nevada to study these fish, and of this party I was one It was there that I saw the most marvelous storm that has perhaps ever been recorded An electrical disturbance of greatover the country at the time, and it reached its vivid climax on the Sierras Our camp was struck, several animals killed, and a couple of the teamsters severely injured, but for nearly two hours the whole world see flashes

”We stayed up there with the trout for several weeks, and e reached Washi+ngton, there was not a ht, heart and soul, to save these rare fish fros' were permitted on the upper reaches of the Kern River, would have destroyed the trout forever, and, indeed, in one month a party of those reckless near-sportsmen destroyed almost one thousand of them But the President's interest was enlisted, the Bureau of Fisheriesthese most exquisite and most wonderful of all fresh-water fish is a part of the Mount Whitney National Park, and the golden trout are saved from extinction”

”Bully for the Bureau!” cried Colin ”Every ti finer”

Following out the lad's interest in the whole trout question, Dr Jiht him nearly all there was to know about the various members of the salroups of the world Both being ardent fishermen, they were startled, however, by the sudden announce halibut off starboard quarter!”

”Yes,” said Dr Ji with his finger, ”flapping its tail on the water?”

”I see,” said Colin; ”but what is it doing that for?”

”Probably attacking a fish,” was the reply ”Are you going after it, Captain?”

”No,” the fisherman answered; ”I've heard that people sometimes catch theest halibut that was ever brought ashore was caught in just such a way,” the trout expert said, turning to Colin ”It was out near Sable Island, and the halibut was attacking a big cod by repeated bloith its tail A boat was sent out with a couple of ht between the two fish was so fierce that neither of theaffed the halibut and pulled hih it nearly swahed over three hundred and fifty pounds It's rather a queer story, I think, but it is reported as official”

Colin whistled

”My word!” he said ”Itone, because a halibut is flat, like a flounder, isn't it?”