A SUMMER VOYAGE 



once saw in the St. Lawrence a pike as long as his 

 arm with a lamprey eel attached to him. The fish 

 was nearly dead and was quite white, the eel had so 

 sucked out his blood and substance. The fish, when 

 seized, darts against rocks and stones, and tries in 

 vain to rub the eel off, then succumbs to the sucker. 



" The lampers do not all die," said Denny, " be- 

 cause they do not all spawn ; " and I observed that 

 the dead ones were all of one size and doubtless of 

 the same age. 



The lamprey is the octopus, the devil-fish, of these 

 waters, and there is, perhaps, no tragedy enacted 

 here that equals that of one of these vampires slowly 

 sucking the life out of a bass or a trout. 



My boys went to school part of the time. Did 

 they have a good teacher ? 



" Good enough for me," said Johnny. 



" Good enough for me," echoed Denny. 



Just below Bark-a-boom the name is worth 

 keeping they left me. I was loath to part with 

 them ; their musical voices and their thorough good- 

 fellowship had been very acceptable. With a little 

 persuasion, I think they would have left their home 

 and humble fortunes, and gone a-roving with me. 



About four o'clock the warm, vapor-laden south- 

 west wind brought forth the expected thunder- 

 shower. I saw the storm rapidly developing behind 

 the mountains in my front. Presently I came in 

 sight of a long covered wooden bridge that spanned 

 15 



