ADVENTURE. 73 



hook that constitute the only connection between 

 you and him, during which exciting process you 

 have prohably to cross several rapids, without 

 much time to select the shallowest spots, then I 

 say that the Macintosh trow r sers are to be pre- 

 ferred to the boots, and that the use of the latter 

 may occasionally, even to a good swimmer, be 

 attended with considerable risk. 



Although I had frequently been " swamped " 

 on such occasions, when crossing rapids, yet I had 

 hitherto always managed to get ashore without 

 any greater inconvenience than a good ducking, 

 and I had yet to realize the danger of wearing 

 long boots when out of my depth. One afternoon, 

 however, I was engaged with a very heavy fish under 

 circumstances nearly similar to those described at 

 page 21, but the incident to which 1 am now re- 

 ferring, occurred during the previous year. The 

 stream was strong, the tackle delicate, and the 

 fly exceedingly minute, so that "give and take" 

 was the only policy likely to be successful. I had 

 already crossed two streams that intercepted me 

 from the main current, down which the salmon 

 was rushing, when I came upon a third, running 

 in at right angles to the latter, and certainly not 

 more than thirty feet wide, which it was, of 

 course, necessary to cross. The shingle on the 



