130 SPORTS AND ANECDOTES. 



was impossible, that he was a fool, and everything I 

 could think of; but no, he was sure he could do it 

 easily, he had pulled up stronger streams before, and 

 coute qui coMe he would have a shy at it. 

 Accordingly, at it he went ; he got under the arch, 

 but it was too much for him, and the punt fell back 

 down stream ; he tried it again, with the same 

 result. " Now, you see you cannot manage it," I 

 said. " You had better pull up by the ropes as the 

 men did." " No, by Jove," said he, " I won't be 

 beaten; I know I can do it; I'll have another try;" 

 and putting on all the steam he could muster, at it 

 he went again, for the third time. He had got 

 nearly through, when the stream caught the nose of 

 the punt and turned it nearly round against one of 

 the piers, or props, that supported the bridge. 

 " Let her go down, let her go down ! " said I ; but 

 no, instead of doing this, he put his oar against the 

 pier, and tried to push her off. In a moment the 

 stream took her, she filled, and fairly capsized ; 

 and turning the mast upside down, and us, and 

 an old blue-and-white-ticked pointer that he had 

 taken in the boat with us, into the water. I instantly 

 caught hold of the pile aforesaid, but I was instantly 

 swept away, like a kitten that had been thrown into 



