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miles following the sinuosities of the stream, and had 

 reached a favorite pool at the head of a long, straight, 

 narrow trench, cut by the waters themselves in course of 

 time through the hard shistous rock which walls the 

 torrent on each hand, not leaving the slightest ledge or 

 margin between the rapids and the precipice. The morn- 

 ing had changed the second time, a hazy film has crept 

 up the zenith, and the sun was now covered with a pale 

 golden veil, and a slight current of air down the gorge 

 ruffled the water. 



" It was a capital pool, famous for being the temporary 

 haunt of the very finest fish which were wont to lie there 

 awhile, as if to recruit themselves after the exertions of 

 leaping the two falls and stemming the double rapid, before 

 attempting to ascend the stream farther. 



"Few, however, even of the best and boldest fishermen, 

 cared to wet a line in its waters, in consequence of the 

 supposed impossibility of following a heavy fish through 

 the gorge below, or checking him at the brink of the fall. 

 It is true, that throughout the length of the pass, the 

 current was broken by bare, slippery rocks peering above 

 the waters at intervals, which might be cleared by an 

 active cragsman ; and it had been in fact reconnoitered by 

 Jasper and others in cool blood, but the result of the exa- 

 mination was that it was deemed impassable. 



" Thinking, however, little of striking a large fish, and 

 perhaps desiring to waste a little time before scaling the 

 banks and emerging on the high-road, Jasper threw a 

 favorite fly of peacock's herl and gold tinsel lightly across 

 the water ; and, almost before he had time to think, had 

 hooked a monstrous fish, which, at the very first leap, he 

 set down as weighing at least thirty pounds. 



