ives
eagerly bit. The ends of the lines were fastened either to the backstay
or the taffrail, allowing them to pass over our finger, so that the
moment a mackerel took the bait we could feel it. We then hauled in,
the fish appearing at the surface skipping and jumping like a mass of
silver. We caught a dozen fine fish before breakfast, and they were
immediately frizzing away on the fire. As we could not move along, we
amused ourselves with our spy-glasses, observing what was going forward
on shore.

While thus employed a party came off in a couple of boats to picnic on
one of the green islands off Bob's Nose. The first thing most of the
people did, as soon as they had deposited their baskets on a
comparatively level space at the bottom, was to try and climb up to the
summit, which is of considerable height. The sides are steep, and
present a surface of soft green grass. We saw one fat old lady,
evidently ambitious of vying with her younger companions, making an
attempt to reach the top with the aid of a boatman and one of the
gentlemen of the party. Up she went some distance, when she stopped,
though not for long, and panted for breath; then on again she proceeded,
though not so quickly. But the task was clearly beyond her power.
Again and again she stopped. In vain her two supporters togged. We saw
her making gestures, as if imploring to be let alone. At length down
she plumped on the turf, signing to her friends to leave her. For some
time she appeared to be tolerably comfortable, though we saw her fanning
herself, and puffing and blowing, while her companions quickly went on
and joined the rest of the party, who had gained the summit. It would
have been prudent in her to remain quiet, but unwisely she moved
onwards.

"She's gathering way!" exclaimed Uncle Tom; and, sure enough, down she
began to slide, at first very slowly, but as an impetus was gained, she
went faster and faster. In vain she screamed for help. The soft grass
afforded no hold to the frantic grasps she made at it. Her cries
reached us. Her companions must have been very hard of hearing, for it
was not until she had slid two-thirds of the way down that any of them
seemed to attend to her, and then the whole party set off rushing down
the hill-side, at the bottom of which they stood ready to receive her.
Though much frightened, she was not, I think, much hurt.

Tom and Jack came on board to luncheon, and we agreed to row in to
Torq