A DILEMMA. 21 



bringing matters to a conclusion in the nearest 

 pool below, when suddenly just as my hopes 

 were highest I perceived, to my horror, another 

 deep stream in front, running in from the left, 

 and realized the unwelcome fact that I was on a 

 peninsula, below and around which all was dark 

 and turbulent from the meeting of the waters. 

 What was to be done ? The line was quickly 

 running out. It was too late to retrace my steps, 

 and though an expert swimmer under ordinary 

 circumstances, I had previously experienced the 

 danger of venturing out of one's depth in long, 

 heavy, wading boots, such as I was wearing at 

 that moment. My first impulse was to pull 

 them off, and, rod in hand, to tread water down 

 stream, landing on either bank, below the junction 



of the two arms of the river, but there was no 







time to carry out such an operation, even with 

 Simon's assistance. The line was whizzing away, 

 and a glance at the deep stream on the left now 

 rather above me, for I had waded out on the 

 tongue of the promontory until the water had 

 filled my boots and was up to my waist revealed 

 no hope in that direction. In agony I looked at 

 the now emptying reel. But a few yards remained : 

 these soon disappeared ; the strain grew greater 

 and greater : something must give way ; the rod 



