364 AMERICAN GAME FISHES. 



back fin raised to its fullest extent, the gold and purple shin- 

 ing in the sun; then after another effort to sound, he changed 

 his course; and away he went, down the rapid, John keeping 

 a steady strain upon the fish, while I dropped the pole and 

 grasped my paddle, and down we went in the wake of the 

 Grayling. 



There were some ugly bowlders strewn along our course, 

 and the angler was compelled to put forth his best skill to 

 prevent the Grayling from .snapping the line around some of 

 them; but we passed the rapid in safety, the fish still fast to 

 the hook, and by this time pretty well wearied, so that, 

 rounding to in an eddy, I managed to hold the boat while 

 the net was put in requisition, and the fish boated. He 

 weighed nearly two pounds, and was the largest taken dur- 

 ing the trip. 



Here we moored the boat, and had good sport, casting our 

 flies from the reefs which projected from the shore; and 

 returning to the water two fish out of every three that we 

 caught. 



We dined at this place, and once more proceeded on our 

 cruise, feeling rather jolly, as we erroneously supposed that 

 we had passed the worst of the obstructions in the stream. 

 We had left behind a forest of spruce.^ and were passing 

 through a swampy region, when I became aware of a large 

 doe, standing upon a shallow, and looking down the river. 

 She made a beautiful picture, her glossy form in full relief 

 against the swaying clematis vines, and dark green alder 

 leaves; and not until we were within thirty yards did she 

 turn her head, when, taking a short but steady look at us, 

 she leisurely hopped into the bushes. We saw several 

 others on the trip, but such a picture as this one presented 

 lives long in the memory of a sportsman. 



We soon encountered more rocks and rapids, and as we 

 swung around a curve, John lifted his voice and energetically 

 said: "A jam-pile, by thunder!" True enough, the river 



