368 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 
giant river of Canada and its surrounding landscape, be- 
cause it is without a fault—perfection verified. 
Strong and enduring are the thews of our boatmen, 
tough but pliant the ash oars, and although each stroke 
they are bent like hoops, still our progress over the rip- 
pling, glancing, eddying water is slow. But delay matters 
not here; in fact, it is rather pleasing, for it affords the 
spectator time to gaze, ay, inhale the manifold beauties that 
surround him: look to the left at that feathery birch, how 
playfully and daintily its long, graceful, floating limbs tap, 
tap, tap upon the rapid’s surface. Another rival in attract- 
iveness grows close by; it is the wood-grape, with its 
long tendrils floating in every breath of air, but treacher- 
ously longing to lay hold of the tree that now she only fans 
with her passing touch. And the red maple and yellow 
maple and scarlet sumac crowd together, rivals for the 
palm of precedence in gaudiness of hues; while behind 
them, in calm dignity, towers the giant pine, looking down 
with unbending dignity upon its minor surrounding breth- 
ren. The motion of these Canadian waters itself is joyous, 
and every dip and plunge and jump of the birch-bark canoe 
seem to be its ebullition of excessive animal spirits. 
But, unconsciously, we have glided out of the swift cur- 
rent into eddying back currents; our spoon-bait trails thir- 
ty odd yards behind; in fact, it has been for some time 
forgotten, for admiration and thought have been feeding 
upon the beauties of surrounding nature, when suddenly 
we are recalled to the fact that we are fishing, by several 
rapid jerks upon the line; the top of the rod bends toward 
the unseen adversary, and the reel-handle spins round with 
unusual velocity. Now comes the test to prove your knowl 
edge of the gentle art. Take and give, never be hurried, 
or permit excitement to control you, for a worthy foe you 
have to struggle with, and coolness and nerve will alone in- 
