on a selected spot of dry ground, and the ladies began to spread
out the viands, while Mr Sudberry took the exact bearings of the spot
by compass. While thus philosophically engaged, he observed that fish
were rising in the tarn.

"Hallo! Hector; why, I see fish in the pond."

"True," replied the young man, "plenty of trout; but they are small."

"I'll fish," said Mr Sudberry.

"So will I," cried George.

And fish they did for half an hour, at the end of which period they were
forcibly torn away from the water-side and made to sit down and eat
sandwiches--having caught between them two dozen of trout, the largest
of which was about five inches long.

"Why, how did ever the creatures get up into such a lake?" inquired Mr
Sudberry, eyeing the trout in surprise: "they could never jump up all
the waterfalls that we have passed to-day."

"I suppose they were born in the lake," suggested Hector, with a smile.

"Born in it?" murmured Mr Sudberry, pondering the idea; "but the
_first_ ones could not have been born in it. How did the first ones get
there?"

"The same way as what the first fishes came into the sea, of course,"
said Jacky, looking very pompous.

Unfortunately he unintentionally tried to perform that impossible feat,
which is called swallowing a crumb down the wrong throat, thereby nearly
choking himself; and throwing his mother into a flutter of agitation.

There was something so exhilarating in the atmosphere of that elevated
region that none of the party felt inclined to waste much time over
luncheon. Mr Sudberry, in particular, was very restless and migratory.
His fishing propensities had been aroused, and could not be quieted.
He had, in the course of a quarter of an hour, gobbled what he deemed it
his duty to eat and drink, and, during the remainder of the meal, had
insisted on helping everybody to everything, moving about as he did so,
and thereby causing destruction to various articles of crockery. At
last he declared that he was off to fish down the burn, and that the
rest of the party would pick him up on their way back to the coach,
which was to start from the inn at Loch Earn Head at five in the
afternoon.

"Now don't be late," said he; "be at the inn by half-past four
precisely."

"Ay, ay; yes, yes," from everybody; and away he went alone to enjoy his
favourite sport.

The rest of the party scattered. Some went to good points for
sketching, some to botanise, and others to ascend