n hour.

Rollitt either did not notice the accident or was too engrossed to heed
it. He still had his fish, though as far off as before, and once more
the tedious task of coaxing him out of his tantrums was to begin over
again. It was useless to shout. The roar of the water among the stones
above and over the rocks below was deafening, and Fisher's piping voice
could never make itself heard above it. He tried to throw a stone, but
its little splash was lost in the hurly-burly of the rapids. It was
hopeless to expect that Rollitt would see him. He had no eyes but for
his rod.

The last glimpse Fisher minor caught of him as the boat, side-on,
swirled round the turn towards the falls below, he was standing on the
seat, craning his neck for a glimpse of his prize, and winding in
gingerly on the reel as he did so. Then he disappeared.

With a groan of panic the small boy started to follow. The boulders
were big and rough, and it was hard work to go at ordinary rate, still
more to run. Happily, however, after a few steps he stumbled upon a
path which, though it seemed to lead from the river, would take him, he
calculated, back to it above the falls at the end of the bend in which
the boat was. It was a tolerable path, and Fisher minor never got over
ground so fast before or after. A few seconds brought him out of the
wood on to the river-bank, where the stream, deepening and hushing,
gathers itself for its great leap over the falls.

Had the boat already passed, and was he too late! No; there it came,
sidling along on the swift waters, the angler still at his post, leaning
over with his landing-net, within reach at last of his hard-earned
prize. What could Fisher minor do! The stream was fairly narrow, and
the boat, sweeping round the bend, was, if anything, nearer the other
side, where the banks were high. His one chance was to attract the
anglers attention. Had that angler been any one but Rollitt, it might
have been easy.

Arming himself with a handful of stones, Fisher minor waited till the
boat came within a few yards. Then with a great shout he flung with all
his might at the boat.

The sudden fusillade might have been unheeded, had not one stone struck
the angler's hand just as he was manoeuvring his landing-net under the
fish. In the sudden start he missed his aim and looked up.

"Look out!" screamed Fisher. "You're adrift! Catch the branch!"

And he pointed wildly to the branch of an ash