ON THE LAKE. 29 



it instantly, almost Charlie B.'s white hat was 

 jammed down over his eyes, and faint mutterings of 

 " Oh, oh, don't ! I didn't mean to ; I won't ! " 

 were heard beneath it. I had been too quick for the 

 boy, and caught him even with hi:; fingers on the 

 line. Taken in the act, his punishment was sharp, 

 quick, and decisive ; and not until the youth had 

 promised to cut me six pipes of tobacco did I 

 withdraw the " felt." 



On we pulled, leisurely but steadily, with just 

 speed enough to keep the line on the surface, for 

 it does not do to hurry in this country. And now 

 no fingers give that jerk, but the mouth of some 

 member of the finny tribe has closed over the 

 spoon. The boys back water, and hand over hand 

 we pull, " Gently, not too fast, sir : that's better ; " 

 and in a few moments our first trout lies before us. 

 " Beautiful ! " well you may say so, for what is more 

 beautiful than a well-developed pound trout ? and 

 he weighed just a pound ; one scale more would 

 have turned the scale. 



Six longing, loving eyes gazed tenderly upon him, 

 a bright flush lit up their anxious faces, and (alas ! 

 frail human nature) three hungry mortals wondered 

 whether there was enough of him to go round. 

 Over goes the line again, and the boys, made happy 

 by our success, hurry up a bit, and pull ten strokes 

 more to the hour. 



