136 THE UPPER RAPIDS. 



"I tell you what," said the Squire, draw- 

 ing back his head, " that fellow is to be had. 

 I recollect wiring a great lumping chubb 

 once. I caught him asleep, gorged with 

 a water-rat, and lying on the top. And, 

 by George ! I will wire that fellow, too. 

 Come back, all of you, and keep away from 

 the water. Tell Paddy Mooshlan to get one 

 of the salmon-rods together, without the top 

 piece. Take the Irish one ; it will not sig- 

 nify much if we break that." 



And the Squire, who was never to be 

 caught without his materials, sitting down 

 out of sight of the fish, occupied himself in 

 unlaying some eel-wire, and laying it up 

 again in a threefold twist, with a loop at one 

 end. 



This piece of machinery, formed into a 

 springe, was bound securely to the penulti- 

 mate joint of the Irish rod, which certainly 

 was rather too slender for the purpose, but 

 was the only long rod they had with them. 

 To secure against its breaking — an acci- 

 dent which its pliability rendered more than 

 probable, — a piece of stout water-cord was 

 made fast to the springe, and led down the 

 rod, taking half-a-dozen turns round it in its 

 passage. 



