he parties adopts this principle, and so he yields to the other; but if
both adopt it, then there is sometimes a little discussion, each
insisting on giving up to the other. But such a dispute is a friendly
dispute, not a hostile one, and it is very easily settled."

"A friendly dispute!" exclaimed Marco; "I never heard of such a thing."

"Yes," said Forester. "Suppose, for instance, that, when you had caught
your fish, you had said, 'There, Jeremiah, that fish is yours; he was
coming up to your hook, and would have bitten at it if I had not put my
line in;' and, then, if Jeremiah had said, 'No, it is not mine; it is
yours, for you caught it with your hook;' this would have been a
friendly dispute. It would have been very easily settled."

"I am sorry that I left my pole down at the river," said Marco. "I cut a
most excellent pole in the woods, on my way down, and I left it there
across the log. I mean to go down and get it early in the morning."

"No," said Forester; "we must be on our way up the river early to-morrow
morning."

"How shall we go?" asked Marco.

"I have engaged a wagon here to take us to Bath, and there we shall find
a stage."

Accordingly, early the next morning, Forester and Marco got into a wagon
to go up the river to Bath, which is the first town of any considerable
consequence which you meet in ascending the Kennebec river. Marco and
Forester sat on the seat of the wagon, and a boy, who was going with
them for the purpose of bringing the wagon back, sat behind, on a box,
which had been put in to make a seat for him.

Marco said that he was very sorry that he had not time to go and get his
fishing-pole.

"It would not do any good," said Forester, "for you could not carry it."

"Why, yes," said Marco, "we might put it on the bottom of the wagon, and
let the end run out behind. It is pretty long."

"True," said Forester, "we might possibly get it to Bath, but what
should we do with it then?"

"Why, then," said Marco, "we might put it on the top of the stage, I
suppose. Would not they let us?"

"It would not be very convenient to carry a long fishing-pole, in that
way, to Quebec," replied Forester, "through woods, too, half of the way,
full of such poles. You might stop and get a cane or staff, if we find
a place where there are some good ones. A cane would be of some service
to you in walking up the hills, and that could be taken along with our
baggage easily."

Marco said that he sho