PIG AND TROUT

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 12, 2 April 1952, Page 3

PIG AND TROUT

BETWEEN DEVIL AND DEEP LAKE

(By

T. G.

P.)

It was a perfect 'Taupo-blue" day. Douglas Valeran, fishing at one of the Western bays, had taken five very fine trout. His tall son Eric, doing various chores, remained on their private launch which was anchored about a hundred yards away. Douglas, casting expertly, stood with his back to the shore; his mind had reached that subline state of contentment and peace, only to be achieved by the Yogi, other schools of thought — and fly fishermen! He saw the twenty-five mile wide lake of scintillating opal and silver. Qreamy-white cliffs, semi-olad m green, admired their ruffled reflections in the water. "This" thought the angler, "is Heaven. Everything is glorious.". Suddenly he heard a frantie yell rrom Eric. "Hey! Look out — look behind you!" Swiftly Douglas turned and nearly fell oyer with shock. A hideous and huge wild boar, with visably murderous intdnt, was wading through the lake towards him. The astonished and alarmed man backed away into deeper water, thinking how much uglier a wild pig appeared to be when you hadn't a gun. The bea-st came on steadily until, reaching its depth limit, he stopped abruptly but began grinding his teeth and shaking his head with a fierce urge to attack and kill. Douglas could back no further because the sancl-lip ended and there was a sudden dtop in the lake floor; water began overflow into his waders and the pig persisted in a vicious display of temper. Douglas could have smacked the animal with his fishing-rod but that, he knew, would only aggravate the creature's rage. The brute was liable to lurch and swim into action at any moment. The man int ended, if that happened, to grab the pig by the tail and attempt to drown it. t Meanwhile Eric had gone with his rifle to collect their dogs. Douglas kept very still and the baffled boar. feeling chilly perhaps turned and waded out on to the shore. The fisherman followed to help his son and placing his rod on a gorse bus'h, he picked up a long piece of driftwood board to attack at four yards. But Eric shouted as he ran up, "Look out; Don't hit him or he'll go for you — and that bit of wood is rotten!" The wild porker saw the man and dogs coming and as Eric fired, he dashed unhurt into the scrub and made a clear get-away. .Since then, lets hope,, that this little ( ? ) pig stayed at home.

T.

P.