TROUT FISHING. 19 



moment I heard a tremendous splashing in the water 

 above me, accompanied by something halfway be- 

 tween a grunt and a groan. I was startled, and 

 turning my eyes in the direction of the tumult, saw 

 my companion floundering in the water. With a 

 short crooked pole, he had been endeavoring to mount 

 a smooth, slippery rock and cast his cord-line into a 

 hole where it looked as if trout might lurk. Just as he 

 was fetching back his rod with a tremendous swing, his 

 foot slipped and over he rolled into the swift current, 

 making the splashing that had startled me so. His 

 hat was off and his long hair streamed over his face, 

 as now up and now down he struggled to steady his 

 uncertain footing. At length, he brought up against 

 a rock, and "thunder and lightning," were the first 

 words that escaped his lips, as he looked around to 

 determine his whereabouts. He was a capital subject 

 for a picture, as he thus stood, bareheaded, hanging 

 on the rock, and muttering to himself. Between the 

 fright and the laugh, I lost my trout, but I have made 

 my mark on him and will have him yet 



