240 THE SWAN AND HER CREW. 



so that if he fell into the water his feet would be free and 

 he could keep himself right-end uppermost ; but the crutches 

 of the stilts which came up under his arms were lightly tied 

 around his shoulders, to leave his arms at liberty to use a 

 rod. And now, having been fairly started by the aid of his 

 friends, he was stalking along like a huge heron in about five 

 feet of water, and was spinning for pike, casting his bait to 

 right and left of him and oftentimes behind him, for his 

 movements were rather uncertain and erratic ; and as making 

 a cast disturbed his equilibrium, he was obliged to execute 

 a sort of waltz-step to recover himself. Frank and Dick 

 were in ecstasies of laughter at his involuntary antics. 



u He will never catch any fish in that way," observed 

 Dick. 



In a little while, however, they saw his rod bend double , 

 and it was evident that a good-sized pike had seized his bait. 

 Then Jimmy made a stumble, and a violent effort to recover 

 himself, and in so doing turned his back to the pike, which 

 resented the insult by making a savage rush, pulling Jimmy 

 backwards. 



There was a violent sort of war-dance on Jimmy's part, 

 during which one of the stilts seemed to be pointing up- 

 wards, and then Jimmy, with a last wild flourish of a stilt in 

 the air, descended from his lofty height and disappeared 

 beneath the waters of the broad. 



Frank and Dick hastened, as fast as their laughter would allow 

 them, to the punt, and rowed to meet Jimmy, who was half 

 wading half swimming towards them, the two long stilts trail- 

 ing behind him from his shoulders, and his rod following Mr. 

 Pike on a different course. 



" Swim after your rod, Jimmy," cried Frank. 



" Whoo, hoo ! it is so cold," spluttered Jimmy. 



He scrambled into the punt, and, just staying to recover the 

 rod, and with it a pike of about six pounds in weight, they rowed 

 back, and Jimmy ran home to change. 



Frank afterwards said to Jimmy, 



" That stilt dodge of yours is a capital idea. You see you 

 caught a pike directly with it. Won't you try it again ? " 



" No, thank you," said Jimmy, " once ducked, twice shy." 



After a few days' fine weather a hard frost and deep snow 

 set in. A stiff breeze prevented the broad from being frozen 



