46 JOCK'S LAKE. 



fly-rod, and in a fair fight captured my first trout with the 

 fly, a little blush of shame mantled my check at the nvol 

 lection that I was so happy on that first morning at Jock's 

 Lake. I can imagine many compensations thai will come 

 with old age, if, indeed, it shall come, for the losses of 

 enjoyment that befall impaired physical faculties; hut what 

 shall come in the place of camp and tramp in the Adiron- 

 dacks, and the glorious joy of casting the tly over the pools 

 and in the rapids of forest streams, and the leap and dash 

 and play of the gamy and beautiful trout! This, however, 

 is not what I was thinking of, as 1 sat in the boat that 

 morning and drew in trout after trout, as handsome and a^ 

 uainv as any I have since seen. 



"Hi! Hi! that never will do," exclainn-d Unison, as 

 1 was about to lift to my lips a cup of water dipped from tin- 

 pure, spring-fed lake; "} T ou'll be sure to be sick it yon 

 drink that. Mere, pour a little of tin- enlivener' into 

 it," bringing out from his pocket a tla-k oi brandy. 



"I never drink, you know." 



"No matter 1 don't drink, myself, except in the \\ootK 

 but you must take a drop here, or we'll have an incon- 

 veniently sick man on our hands." 



The last argument was conclusive, and I poured ^ome of 

 the contents of his fiask into the cup of water, and drank. 

 We continued fishing, but 1 speedily lost intere-t in the 

 sport. In fact, by the time we reached camp, again. I was 

 pale and weak and sick. The delicate stomach 1 had 

 brought with me into the woods had rebelled at the unac 



