appened on the evening of a very bright day. He had been
unfortunate. The sun being too bright, the fish would not rise. This
annoyed him much, because on that particular day he had been accompanied
by the Captain and Bob Bowie, as well as his two companions, all of whom
were anxious to see him catch fish, and learn a lesson in the art. Fred
was up to his middle in a rough part of the river. It was all he could
do to retain his foothold, the water was so strong.

"It won't do," said he, "the sun is too bright."

His friends on shore looked grave and disappointed.

"I sees a cloud a-comin'," said Bob Bowie glancing upwards.

"Hallo! hey!" shouted Grant, who observed that at that moment Fred's
legs had been swept from under him, and he was gone!

Before any one could speak or act, Fred reappeared a little farther down
the river, holding tight to the rod, and staggering into shallower
water.

"None the worse of it," cried Fred, bursting into a laugh.

Just as he said this, and while he was paying no attention to his rod, a
salmon rose and seized the fly. In an instant Fred and his comrades
utterly forgot all about the ducking, and were filled with the
excitement of the sport.

Fred's rod bent like a willow wand. His eyes seemed to flash, and his
lips were tightly pressed together, for he felt that he had on a very
large fish. Suddenly it darted up stream, and did what the large fish
seldom do--leaped quite out of the water.

"A whale! stand by!" roared Bob Bowie.

There was a cry from the others, for at that moment the salmon set off
down stream,--a most dangerous proceeding at all times. Fred made for
the bank, and let out line as fast as possible. When he gained the bank
he ran down the stream, leaping over bushes and stones like a wild goat.
The places he went over in that run were terribly rugged. It seemed a
miracle that he escaped without broken bones. Presently he came to a
steep rock that projected into the water. There was no getting round
it, so in he dashed. It took him only up to the knees. This passed, he
came to another place of the same sort. Here he put a strain on the
fish, and tried to stop it. But it was not to be stopped. It had
clearly made up its mind to go right down to the sea. Fred looked at
the pool, hesitated one moment, and then leaped in. It took him up to
the neck, and he was carried down by the current fifty yards or so, when
his feet caught bottom again, and he