continued from last week (beginning previous page)

.....there I was going over this huge cliff head first, stiff with fear and a fishing rod in my hand.

The fall was in slow motion and as I toppled so many thoughts invaded my brain I can now understand why they say a person's whole life flashes before them at the moment of sudden death. And I thought I was going to die that day, believe me.

The fall was probably only about 10 or 12 metres but it sure seemed to last a long time and I saw this enormous rock in front of me that would pulverise me if I hit it full on. Luckily, I just grazed it, deflecting to a smaller rock and falling between them, I think.

I say I think, because I was dazed and shocked, with my whole body hurting like hell, especially my left hand that held the fishing rod. Wearing just shorts and a flimsy shrit, I was bloody from head to toe, but this left hand, especially the little and the ring finger and knuckles had a fire raging in them, I recall. I think something was broken, but I never found out, they just came good by themselves after about two months.

One of my clients, a woman, happened to be a theatre nurse in a big Melbourne hospital and she came running over, expecting broken ribs at least, but no, there was no damage apart from multiple cuts and bruises and my aching hand which still held onto a short lenghth of fishing rod handle, the rest having shattered on contact with the rocks and was laying about in pieces, most no longer than a metre.

My poor rod! The reel was smashed too, beyond repair. Hanging on to it was obviously the reason for so much damage to my left hand. I must of sort of punched the rock as I fell.

Anyway, I got up and after a short rest to clean up and recompose myself, continued on with the day. I realised then that I must be made of hardier stuff than I thought. But then, fishing guides are hardy characters, aren't they? They have to be I guess, going out fly fishing in pristine mountain streams every day is not everybody's cup of tea, you know. It's a tough job I assure you, but somebody's got to do it.