ABOVE AND BELOW 



tance below them. Another sportsman 

 wished to try his luck; he had a guide with 

 him. It was difficult to hear pla:nly on ac- 

 count of the racket that the river makes and 

 the noise that the mills throw to the winds. 



The Angler had made a long cast. Very 

 suddenly the skiff of the new comer over- 

 turned and both of its occupants were thrown 

 into the river. At this moment the Angler 

 struck a fish as he supposed his line began 

 to run out rapidly. No leap of a fish came; 

 yet he felt the heavy tug of something strange 

 and weighty. 



The floundering fisherman appeared to be 

 splashing about in a strenuous and un- 

 necessary manner. Evidently he was try- 

 ing to yell important information, but only 

 a cuss word could be distinguished now 

 and then. French sensed that something 

 must be radically wrong and asked the An- 

 gler to stop fishing and to reel in as fast as 

 he could. Meantime he cast the skiff free. 

 The Angler did the best he could to follow 

 instructions. 



The profane gentleman had succeeded in 

 reaching a rock, where he was deeply engaged 

 in performing a minor surgical operation on 

 his trousers and eclipsing any sailor or par- 



93 



