62 .THE BOATMAN'S BTOBT. 



and he chased us more than two miles with his jaws open 

 like a great pair of clamps, as if he'd a mind to swallow us 

 boat and all, and from the size of the openin', I'm bold to 

 say he'd a done it too, if he'd have caught us ; but as we 

 rounded an island, he run head foremost, jam against a 

 rock. That kind o' stunned him, and he gave in. 



"Wai, after we got to the surface, the trout that was 

 towin' me, seemed to let on an extra amount of steam for a 

 mile or so, and let me say the way we went was a caution. 

 I've travelled on the cars in my day, when they made every 

 thing gee again, but that kind o'goin' wasn't a circumstance 

 to the way we tore along. The water rose up on either 

 hand more than twenty feet, and went roarin', and tumblin', 

 and hissin', as if everything was goin' to smash. All at 

 once the line was thrown loose, and the boat went straight 

 ahead bows on, to one of the small islands up towards the 

 head of the lake, and when she struck, I went through the 

 air eend over eend, clear across the island, more than fifteen 

 rods, ca-splash into the lake on the other side. 



" Human nater couldn't stand all that, so startin' up I 

 found that while I'd been layin' in the bottom of the boat the 

 wind had ris, and was blowin' a stiff gale. The boat had 

 drifted across the lake and had struck broadside agin the 

 shore, and the waves were makin' a clean breach into her at 

 every surge. I soon got her, head on to the waves, and 

 feelin' something mighty lively at the other eend of the line, 

 hauled in a twelve-pounder." 



