132 THE UPPER RAPIDS. 



fishermen were lounging on the thwarts, 

 smoking their cigars, talking, eating, or 

 even reading. 



This was pretty much the case on the 

 present occasion. No one expected very 

 much, and no one cared very greatly, whether 

 such fish were caught or not. Fishing could 

 hardly be called the primary object. But the 

 scenery was pretty, though tame ; the river 

 quiet and brimming; the sunshine — rather 

 too much of it, to be sure — but still pleasant 

 to bask in ; while the slow rate of going, 

 best adapted for trolling, suited no less the 

 feelings of the rowers than it did the quiet 

 character of the scenery. 



In this manner the two boats crept slowly 

 up-stream, nearly abreast of each other, each 

 taking its own side of the water, so that no 

 less than six baits were trailing astern ; each 

 boat was steered by one of the party, while 

 another kept half an eye open to watch the 

 rods, and to see that the in-shore bait did 

 not spin too near the reeds. These, which 

 are the stronghold of the pike, formed in 

 many places a sort of fringe on each side of 

 the river, leaving a broad, placid channel in 

 the centre, up which the boats were moving, 



