BLACK SWAMP 71 



for itself a clean channel through the water- 

 holes and chaos of the swamp. 



Just at this point the brook ran through a 

 dark but living pool, brown, but transparent, 

 with here and there a gleam of elusive light, 

 as in the eyes of some dark-eyed women. To 

 this pool, and others like it strung here and 

 there through the swamp, had gathered many 

 fish, trout, suckers, and chub, fleeing the too 

 direct rays of the high midsummer sun. 



Lumbering down the sticky bank, the bear 

 squatted himself on his haunches close to the 

 edge of the water, and stared at it fixedly. 

 After a time his eyes began to discern the fish 

 which thronged in its deep centre. Having 

 assured himself that the fish were there, he 

 lay down on his stomach, in a hunched, shape- 

 less position, with his face close to the water 

 and one paw uplifted. It looked like a diffi- 

 cult position to hold, but the bear held it, 

 motionless as one of the great roots, and quite 

 as inert-looking, till by and by some of the 

 fish, which had been frightened away by his 

 coming, swam slowly back to the weedy edges 

 to feed. These fish were suckers, weed-eaters, 

 thick-bodied and sluggish in movement, very 

 different from the swift, ravening trout. A 

 spark flashed into the deep of the bear's eyes as 

 he saw them coming, but not so much as the 



