LONESOME BOOK. 89 



eleven o'clock, the sky was overcast, and he caught three or 

 four trout of good size in the course of half an hour ; but 

 the sun coming out bright and clear, the fish altered their 

 minds, and refused to have anything more to do with his hook. 

 He finally concluded to give up the business, and seek the 

 cooling shadows of the forest trees along the shore. But 

 his boat was gone ; and upon looking around he saw it drift- 

 ing before a light breeze a quarter of a mile distant. Now 

 when you remember that all around the lake was a wilder- 

 ness, save a single spot at the head of the bay, where Mar- 

 tin's house stands, three or four miles distant, and when you 

 remember also that no boat might be passing during the 

 next twenty-four hours, you will comprehend that his posi- 

 tion was none of the pleasantest. There he sat upon the top 

 of his rock, with scarcely room to turn around, with a wide 

 sweep of deep water between him and the nearest land, 

 the fish utterly refusing to bite, and the sun blazing down 

 upon him with heat like a furnace, as it crept with its 

 snail's pace across the sky. At first he was inclined to smile 

 at his ridiculous situation, all alone there on the rock ; but 

 as the wind died away, and the sun poured his burning rays 

 right down upon him, and he panted and sweat under 

 its sweltering influences, he began to feel a little more 

 serious. Hours glided away, and the sun crept slowly 

 along down the heavens, but still no boat made its appear- 

 ance. 



"The sun hid itself behind the hills on the West, and still 

 he was alone. The shadows crept up the mountain peaks 



