50 LAKE SUPERIOK. 



did not know him or had some unworthy object ; 

 and should we have done so great a wrong without 

 more inquiry? "No, messieurs; this is the first 

 time I have been turned away for younger men." 



It is impossible to give his language, for Joe, al- 

 though usually taciturn, burst forth with an over- 

 whelming flow of eloquence, showed us our conduct 

 in such a light that we would gladly have retracted, 

 and compelled us to take refuge behind our ignorance 

 of the customs of the place. Disclaiming the intention 

 to cast a slur upon him, we expressed the fullest con- 

 fidence in his abilities, and said that were it not too 

 late we should cancel our other engagement. Some- 

 what mollified, the pleasant expression returned to 

 the old brave's countenance ere we reached the 

 little rapids, where the excitement of fishing di- 

 verted our attention. 



Don here met with his first success with the cock- 

 a-doosh, striking and killing, after a protracted strug- 

 gle of twenty minutes, a fine trout of three pounds. 

 The rapidity of the current, which flowed deep and 

 strong without an eddy, gave the fish a great advan- 

 tage, and tried the rod to the utmost. The hook, 

 from its size taking a better hold than the diminu- 

 tive fly-hooks, remained firm and enabled Don at 

 last to bring his prey to the net and kill our first 

 large fish in the waters of Lake Superior. 



Having fished faithfully, but in vain, for a mate, 

 although we saw in a deep pool quite a number as 

 large or larger, and as my fly would still only at- 

 tract the small ones, we headed once more up-stream. 



