CHAPTER IV. 
AN OLD SCENE, BUT NEW EYES. 
ELL, boys,” inquired Milton Dean of 
^ * his two young friends, on their return 
from a day’s fishing in the little lake bordered 
by a dismal swamp, “ what kind of sport did 
you find ? Did you fill your baskets with trout 
and bullfrogs?” 
“ Oh, we had a jolly good time, of course,” 
replied Rudolph. “ We caught two little dace, 
one trout that would weigh an—ounce, and a 
good ducking : glorious achievement! In try¬ 
ing to make a short cut through the swamp we 
boxed the compass, and wandered round until 
we found ourselves on the very borders of the 
Slough of Despond, into which we plunged most 
bravely, and wallowed and floundered until the 
very owls hooted at us in derision. You ought 
to have heard the bullfrogs as they shouted, 
'Charley! Charley! Rudolph! Rudolph!’ until 
40 
