222 A YEAE OF LIBERTY ; OR, 



settling bodily towards the bridge ; the danger was imminent ; in 

 fact, the only chance of success lay in bringing them again within 

 the eddy. Once the object seemed nearly attained, when a heavy 

 lunge of the largest fish again hurried both in the centre of the 

 stream. Inch by inch they neared the bridge. Pat danced before 

 us like a frantic dervish ; ten men would have been unable to 

 execute his contradictory orders ; and my faithful follower, feeling 

 the case hopeless, was silent. Stones were hurled into the raging 

 flood, and produced as much effect as so many rain drops ; in vain 

 we endeavoured to tuni every eddy, every stone to our advantage. 

 The leading fish was within a foot of the centre pier. Now for a 

 last effort ; the good rod, already bent double, was still further 

 pressed, when a sharp crack announced it had been taxed beyond 

 endurance, at the same instant the fish entered separate arches, the 

 casting line crossed the pier, snapped, and I, like the miller's maid, 

 was left lamenting. Fortunately the catastrophe was not irreparable ; 

 an idler was forthwith dispatched to the cabin for a second rod, with 

 which he returned by the time I had extracted a fresh casting line 

 from the book. In a few minutes we were again at work, and at 

 once commenced doing a very pretty business, as will be faithfully 

 shown in the following chapter. 



CHAPTEE XXXII. 



A Day after my own Heart Dinner by Proxy The Spoils Night 

 Pat redivivus. 



September 16. 

 Pat led the way through the swamp, pushing on from pool to pool 

 more rapidly than we deemed advisable, certainly far faster than we 

 should have done had we been left to our own guidance in this the 

 deepest morass in the kingdom. Every point at which he paused, 



