found himself out in the river and a moment later he was in
the powerful current at the head of the rapids. Even yet he had time to
get to shore but, with his usual obstinacy, he held on. A minute later
he was going down the rapids, doing his best to keep his head above
water, but with the line wound tightly around his arm. It was now a
fight for life, and he had no time to think of the fish. Down he went,
carried hither and thither by the powerful currents. He knew that each
moment might be his last but he struggled on. Once he believed he heard
a shout and thought he caught a glimpse of a canoe shooting after him,
but the noise of the water and his fearful struggle to keep from being
dashed upon the rocks that lined the river made this appear more like a
dream than a reality.

"He was on the point of exhaustion when he swung around a bend of the
river and found himself in quiet water. In one sense he was saved, for
he had come through the rapids safely, but in another he was just at the
beginning of his struggle for he was practically exhausted and at least
a half mile from shore. He lay back on the water and closed his eyes,
feeling that he could never reach land. Just then he heard a call, and
his two nephews swung around the point and made for him. They pulled him
into their canoe and paddled for the shore. When they reached there,
they started to carry Pierre up on the beach, but found the line tied
around his arm. They disentangled this to find that the pole was still
at the one end of the line. They then started to reel in and in a moment
they felt a weight pulling on the line. They pulled warily, and a minute
later the big salmon came into view. Pierre had caught him after all.
Whether he was drowned by being pulled down the rapids, whether he had
hit a rock when entangled in the line, or for whatever reason, the fact
remained that the line had held and that the big fish was brought safely
ashore.

"Jean proposed that they should camp there that day to celebrate the
occasion. Pierre was secretly very glad to do so, for he really was all
in, not only because of his great exertion in coming down the rapids,
but also because of the many bruises he had received from the rocks. He
asked his nephews how they had come along so luckily to his rescue. They
replied that they were just on their way to get a last look at the big
fish when they saw him plunge over the rock by the side of the pool and
then go down the rapid