CORACLE FISHING ON THE DEE. 187 



its silent though swift course, for the space of about 

 ten yards, in a deep channel, between the bank and 

 some huge stones, or, rather, a small rock ; while the 

 white bubbling stream in every other part pro- 

 claimed its shallowness; which, together with a 

 great quantity of stones peering their heads above 

 the surface, render it utterly impassable for a cora- 

 cle. The passage through this deep place I deter- 

 mined to await ; but a moment's reflection made 

 me laugh at my own folly, in supposing that any 

 one would be so daring as ,to attempt to pass 

 through such a charybdis, when the means of avoid- 

 ing it were so easy, viz., to land, take his vessel 

 upon his back, and walk by the place. But what 

 was my astonishment when I perceived the old 

 angler, upon approaching it, leaning back, and, 

 making good use of his paddle, glide quickly 

 (" medio gurgite") between the rock and the 

 bank, and arrive safely in the steady current on the 

 the other side, when a turn in the river, together 

 with a tuft of intervening trees, shortly obscured 

 him from my astonished eyes. There are only 

 three anglers on the Dee who dare venture through 

 this dangerous strait, and several have been cap- 

 sized in attempting its passage. 



It requires much skill to keep the coracle steady, 

 and direct it in its proper course, even in still 

 water : but in a running stream, the difficulty is, of 

 course, greatly increased, and where, indeed, any 

 person but an expert swimmer would be rash to 



